Aishiteru
by Chu-kun
Summary: [Complete] [AU] S&S are in college, just not together or in the same place. Now she's going to change that. How will it go? Read to find out. SS ET Etc.
1. Memories and Decisions

# Aishiteru

_Arthur's Note:__ This is My first fan fiction so any and all reviews are welcome. If you wish you can flame me if you don't like the piece but please be nice. I tried to use the Japanese names of the characters, but if there are any mistakes that you see, please don't hesitate to point them out to me in your reviews._

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_Time Frame: _This piece is set when all of the characters are 19. They have just begun college and their first semester is about to end. Syaoron is attending a university in Hong Kong, while Sakura is attending a university in Japan. In this story Syaoron left Japan when he 16.Sakura and Syaoron have been exchanging letters off and on since then. They still have not told the other of their love. Meiling is attending school in the U.S., so there will be very little mentioning of her in the story. (I apologize to any Meiling fans out there, but I'm a fanatic about S+S, so sorry.)__

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_Now without further delay on to the story._

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hhhhh

It was a bright and sunny day with a slight breeze going through the air, it was just enough to be noticeable. It was three days before Christmas, the weather was mild for this time of year. The fall semester was just ending. The last of the final exams were being administered and soon there would be no students left on campus. Everyone was anxious to finish their finals and get out of there as fast as possible, all except for one. 

Li Syaoron sat in his calculus class finishing up his last final. His professor had given the class two hours to take the test. But Syaoron was finished before the first hour was up. So he just sat there going over his test, checking his work and then checking his checks. There was still 25 minutes left of and he had already checked it four times since he had finished. He was so bored it was driving him crazy. The room was so quiet that you would've never guessed there were fifty some-odd college freshmen attempting to integrate trigonometric functions. Syaoron let his eyes wander around the room until he was staring out the window.

Just outside was a Cherry Blossom tree.Most of the blossoms had fallen off, but a few remained. And a few were all that was needed to remind Syaoron of Sakura. Her name fit perfectly. To Syaoron she was the most beautiful creature to have ever graced the earth.And he missed her more than anything. 

Sure he missed his other friends from Tomoeda, but she held a special place in his heart. He missed her radiant smile, her song-like laugh and her warm, comforting emerald eyes.

"Li Syaoron!"

"Huh…?" as he was jolted back into the real world.

"The test is over Syaoron. You are dismissed." said Professor Wong.

"Oh." said Syaoron. "Sorry Professor Wong, I must have been daydreaming."

Syaoron handed in his paper and left the lecture hall. He put on his overcoat started towards his dorm room. 'Why is it that I can't seem to get her off my mind? I must be going nuts. Hell, I just got her Christmas card on Monday. It was only two days ago!' thought Syaoron. 'I can't seem to keep her out my mind for more than a couple of hours.' As he thought back to that very morning when he woke up in his bed wishing she was there with him.

'Could she ever love me as much as I love her?' Syaoron thought as he entered his single dorm room to finish packing. 

'She could never love me.' he thought glumly as he jammed some more clothes into his duffle bag. 'I should thank my lucky stars that she even wants to be my friend, especially after how I treated her when we first met.'

These and other depressing thoughts entered his mind as he put the last two things into his bag. A carefully wrapped bundle that contained every single letter, photo and card she had sent him since he left Tomoeda. The other was a picture of him with all of his friends from Japan. Yamazaki had his arms around the waist of Chiharu, Eriol had his around Tomoyo, and Sakura had her arms around his shoulders. In the picture were also Naoko and Rika. 

He could still remember that day they spent at the beach. It was the last day of their summer vacation, before they started their sophomore year of high school. And he could definitely remember the way he cheeks flushed a red hue when she draped her arms over his shoulders. That day he finally realized that what he was feeling for Sakura was not just friendship anymore. It was love. It wasn't some childhood crush, but true love. 

Finally with a last glance at the picture he put it in his backpack and headed off to the train station. 

hhhhh

She stared out the window of her room and at the tree that was now covered with a light coating of winter powder. Looking at it reminded her of a certain amber-eyed sorcerer who'd stolen her heart. He had always loved to climb trees and take risks. He had always been willing to put his life on the line to protect her, and she loved him for that. 

She tore eyes away from the tree and reminded herself that this train of thought would not help her already dampened Christmas spirits. She felt so alone.

Her father was out of town at some conference or other. Her brother Touya was with his wife and family. Yukito had moved to Australia two months ago and her friends were all with their significant others. Tomoyo was with Eriol, Chiharu was with Yamazaki and even Rika and Naoko were spending time with their boyfriends. But she had no one. And the one she wanted, she couldn't have.

Syaoron was in Hong Kong and she was in Japan. They were still exchanging letters and cards but somehow that just wasn't enough. Not when she would give anything just to have him hold her. Not a day went by without her wishing to be with him and with his strong arms around her in a loving embrace. She felt safe when she was with him, she felt like nothing else mattered as long as he held her. The way those piercing amber eyes just seem to dive into her very soul made her feel like there was no bliss in comparison. But then she would come out of her dream and find herself still alone.

She was tired of just being with him in her dreams, she wanted them to be reality. 

She had actually made up her mind three months ago when she decided to transfer to Syaoron's school in Hong Kong. She sent in her transfer application and had received the acceptance letter yesterday. She would start at there when the spring semester began. 

Her friends had all supported her. Her father was happy that she had finally taken the first step. Yukito was happy for her. Everyone she knew was happy for her except for her onii-chan and Kero-chan. Touya didn't trust Syaoron as far as he could throw him and Kero was just bitter about being called a stuffed animal by Syaoron. But they eventually learned to silence their objections in the face of such overwhelming support.

It was decided that Kero would stay with Tomoyo while Sakura was in Hong Kong. After all they didn't want to have to explain how a stuffed animal could fly, talk and use magic.

Honestly, Sakura was afraid of what might happen if she went to Hong Kong. She was so fearful of rejection by Syaoron that she had almost declined the acceptance letter when she'd first received it. But then she looked at the group picture they took at the beach that summer and all her fears vanished. Even in a picture she could still feel the comforting aura of the man she loved giving her strength. And she remembered that that was the day she first realized something Tomoyo had known for years, that she loved Syaoron.

It had been decided that she would go to Hong Kong two days after new years. This would give her four days to get settled in before the term started. Tomoyo and Eriol would go with her and help her settle in, then they would come back home before their term started. Since the spring term in Japan was scheduled to begin almost a week later then the Hong Kong one, that meant Tomoyo and Eriol would be able to stay in Hong Kong for a full week helping Sakura adjust.

Just then her alarm went off. She saw that it was 6:30 and began to get ready for the Christmas party that Tomoyo was holding at her house. The party was at 7 so if she wanted to get there on time then she would need to leave in10 minutes.

As she finished getting ready for the party she cast a final look at the picture on her desk and whispered, "I'll see you soon Xiao Lang."

To be continued…

hhhhh

_Arthur's Note:__ If you like it tell me, if you don't like it tell me. If you have any ideas tell me and I'll try to work it into my story. _


	2. Arrival

_Time Frame:__ Two days after New Years. Sakura has just arrived in Hong Kong. Tomoyo and Eriol are going with Sakura to her dorm room and helping her settle in. Syaoron is still at home with his mother and sisters resting before he has to come back for the new term._

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hhhhh

The large redbrick building looming in front of them seemed to be foreboding, strong, warm and welcoming all at the same time. It was just like the way Sakura thought of Syaoron. On the outside he gives the appearance of being cold, and standoffish, he is strong not only in the martial arts but also in magic. Then there is the side of him that you don't see unless you know him well, the side that is hidden under the stoicism of his outer shell. This is the side that Sakura saw every time she looked into those clear amber eyes.

"Sakura? Are you all right?" Tomoyo asked, noticing that her best friend seemed to have drifted off for a moment.

"Hoe?" Sakura said as she came out of her reverie, "Oh, sorry Tomoyo-chan I was just thinking about something."

"Don't you mean someone?" Tomoyo said with a knowing wink.

"Uh…"

"Are you girls going to help me or not?" Eriol interrupted, saving Sakura from having to respond. "Even with my magic I can only stand here, with these bags, for so long you know."

Tomoyo chuckled and Sakura sweatdropped. She had just noticed that Eriol was the one who was carrying the bags for all three of them, and he most definitely looked worn out.

"Sorry Eriol-kun. Sakura said moving forward to help with the bags.

Tomoyo however, laid a gentle hand on Sakura's arm, holding her back. "It serves him right for sleeping through the whole flight, and then claiming that he was too tired to pick up his bags and asking us to do it."

Eriol sweatdropped at this and obediently remained quite.

Sakura however, could not help from giggling at the look of embarrassment on Eriol-kun's face.

Tomoyo softened her tone and giggled a little herself looking at the expression her boyfriend had on. 

Eriol had a small carry-on bag under each arm, a large messenger pack over his left shoulder and a large suitcase in each hand. The exertion of keeping upright was definitely taking its toll on Eriol. A thin sheen of sweat was visible on Eriol's forehead as he was panting slightly.

"Alright, come on, let's go." Sakura said after regaining her composure. 

They entered the dormitory and made their way to the elevator, they headed up to the dorm room Sakura was assigned to. The elevator came to a stop on the third floor of the 5-story redbrick.

As they made their way down the hallway they noticed a number of the residents appeared to be boys. 

Sakura found this odd and turned to Tomoyo to ask why this was so. "Tomoyo-chan why are there so many boys in this building?"

"'Cause it's a coed dorm." Tomoyo replied rather matter-of-factly.

"What?" Sakura nearly screamed.

"It was the only dorm that still had room, all the female dorms are filled. We're lucky I was able to get this for you." Tomoyo said. "Besides it's not like you'll be rooming with a guy."

As they rounded a corner Sakura came up to a door on which was written, in bronze bolted numbers, the number "39." 

"This is it." Tomoyo said as she turned the handle and opened it to reveal a modestly furnished dorm room. 

Inside there were two twin-sized beds one by the window and the other on the opposite side of the room along the far wall. At the foot of each bed were a simple oak chest and a cabinet next to each bed. A simple beige couch was to the left of the door. The floor was also covered with a plush beige carpet. Two closets, one on the left side and the other on the right side of the room. There were two desks, one next to each bed, and finally a large 6 level bookshelf next to the sofa. 

The window was located just above the bed. It was just the right size to let in enough light to brighten up the room. The walls and ceiling were painted in a pearly white with a slight tinge of pink in it. Even though the color was barely noticeable, it still made the room feel more inviting. 

As Sakura looked around the room she noticed that about half of the space had already been taken up, presumably by her roommate. The entire far wall was covered with posters and pictures of all kinds. Already books, articles and various other things covered the desk on that side of the room. There were two levels of the bookshelf, which had already been taken up by books, magazines and papers. The closet closest on the opposite wall was filled with clothes. Sakura wandered over to the window and saw that she could see the whole quad from her vantagepoint. 

"Well we better start unpacking your stuff Sakura-chan." Tomoyo said.

Sakura turned around just in time to see Eriol collapse on the floor panting. She hadn't realized that Eriol had been holding, what must have been 50 or 60 pounds of luggage for over an hour. 

Tomoyo simply giggled at the condition of her boyfriend, while Eriol was too tired to even bother moving. 

After Eriol had finally recovered the trio set about unpacking all of Sakura's things. They were nearly finished when a small Chinese girl walked into the room with the headphones of her minidisc player still over her ears. She didn't seem to notice the three strangers and instead continued to her bed where she took off she earphones and set her minidisc player on the bed. However, when she turned around she gave a slight yelp of surprise. 

Seeing the startled look on the girl's face Sakura decided to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Kinomoto Sakura. I believe that I am your roommate."

As quickly as the look of surprise came to the girl's face it disappeared to be replaced by a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Chu Ming Yi. Welcome." the Chinese girl introduced herself as, in slightly accented Japanese. "I'm sorry about my reaction but I wasn't expecting you here this early. The term doesn't start for another four days. I took the inside bed because I didn't know which one you would want. I hope that is all right with you. I only took two of the shelves because I don't know how much space you would need, but if you need more space I could move some of my stuff."

"Thank you Ming-chan. I would love to take the window bed. I don't really need that much room. The space you left is more than I need." Sakura said. "These are my friends Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun."

"Konnichiwa." Tomoyo and Eriol said together and bowed in greeting.

"Konnichiwa." Ming said bowing in return.

"Ming-chan your Japanese is quite good." Tomoyo remarked.

"Arigato Tomoyo-chan. I learned from my uncle. He spent time studying in Japan." Ming said. "… I just remembered there is a Wong Faye concert tonight, would you like to come? I could introduce you to some of my friends."

"That would be great. When is the concert?" Sakura asked.

"It's at seven." Ming answered.

"Do you guys want to go?" Sakura asked Tomoyo and Eriol.

"Sure!" both replied enthusiastically.

"Great I'll go get the tickets now. Be back in a few minutes." Ming said as she ran out the door.

"She seems pretty nice." Eriol said after Ming had left.

"Yeah." Tomoyo added. "Pretty good roommate don't you think?"

"Yeah." Sakura said. "Well if we are going to a concert I think we should get ready."

"I have the perfect outfit for you guys to were to the concert." Tomoyo said smiling broadly.

All Sakura and Eriol could do was sweatdrop.

To be continued…

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	3. Revelations I

_Time Frame:__ Syaoron has come back from spending the break at home. Ming-chan has gotten to be good friends with Sakura, Tomoyo and Eriol. Sakura met a couple of Ming-chan's friends at the Faye Wong Concert. Lan Qiou and Chen Yuan. Both are freshmen girls. The term began the day before. Tomoyo and Eriol are preparing to leave in two days._

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hhhhh

'I must be going crazy.' Syaoron thought. 'I could swear I feel as if Sakura is near by.'

These and other confusing thoughts were coursing through his mind as he approached his coed dorm. 

'It can't be. I'm probably just tired from having to deal with clan affairs even on break.' Syaoron thought. 'Yeah, that's it I'm just tired from the break. Sakura could never be here, she's in Japan.'

After he had entered his dormitory he decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. It would at least help to clear his mind of thoughts of Sakura, even if only for a few minutes. 

The elevator doors opened just as he entered the stairwell and started to run up to his room on the forth floor. 

Five girls and a guy stepped out from inside the elevator. 

"Yuan-chan where did you say this restaurant was again?" Eriol asked as they left the building. 'I thought I just felt Syaoron-kun.'

'I thought I just felt Syaoron-kun.' Sakura thought. She looked to Eriol for any sign and when she saw the puzzled look on his face she knew that she had felt Syaoron-kun, but he wasn't anywhere near them. At least not that she could see. 

Lately she had been sensing his aura a lot. She had thought that it was just her mind playing tricks on her because she missed him so much.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Lan asked. 

"Huh? Oh. I'm fine, I was just thinking about something." Sakura said. "Come on lets get that lunch cuz I'm hungry enough to eat a horse."

Shouts of "ditto" and giggles rang though the group as they made their way to the restaurant that was recommended by Yuan-chan.

hhhhh

Syaoron was already on the second floor when he felt the familiar pink aura of his cherry blossom. He stopped and tied to see if there was something there, but felt only a fading sensation in the back of his mind. 

'Must be imagining it again.' Syaoron thought. 'God I miss her! Baka why didn't you tell her when you had the chance?'

But in his mind he already knew the answer. It was because he was afraid. It's really funny when you come to think of it. Li Syaoron, the leader of the Li clan, Clow Master and sorcerer, who has faced and defeated Clow Cards, Guardian Beasts of the Seal, evil warlocks, demons and his mother, well maybe not mom, is afraid of saying three simple words to a simple girl.

No, Sakura is far from simple. She is an angel that he could never hope to have. She is the one thing he would want out of everything in the world. She is the person who stole his heart and soul. She is the very essence of his existence. She is the meaning for his life. She is the one thing he could never live without. His purpose is to protect her and without that purpose he is nothing. 

'Baka, you say that now but what have you been doing to protect her? You haven't seen her in three years, how do you know that she hasn't already found someone? How could you hope that she waits for you? Hell, you never even showed her that you cared, baka, baka, baka.'

'Not much use in feeling sorry for your-self is there? ' Syaoron thought. ' I wonder if Ming Yi is in?'

Syaoron got off on the third floor and headed for Ming's dorm room. When he arrived he tried knocking on the door, but no one answered. Then he found a note with his name, tacked to the board outside her room. He took the note off and read it.

Uncle,

The whole group of us went to a new restaurant that Yuan Yuan found. 

We'll be out until at earliest 5, just so you know.

If you need to know where we are just call my cell.

See ya later.^_^

Love Ming Yi

'Hehe, I told her dozens of times to stop calling me uncle, but I guess she just wants to make me feel old.' Syaoron thought. 

With the note in hand he made his way up to his room which was directly above his nieces.

hhhhh


	4. Revelations II

_Time Frame:__ One day before Tomoyo and Eriol head back to Japan. This is the first day of Syaoron's spring term calculus class._

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hhhhh

Syaoron walked into his calculus class with a scowl on his face. He had definitely been sensing some magical auras lately. But he wasn't sure if it was Sakura or for that matter if he wanted to believe he actually felt it. He seemed to sense an aura that was as pink as Sakura's but he wasn't sure if it was for real or just his mind playing tricks on him. 

These thoughts seemed to engrave themselves into his mind. He couldn't think about anything else. Sakura was all he could think of ever since he came back from the break, and it bothered him how much time was spent on daydreams of his unattainable angel. 

As he entered the class he saw Professor Wong was getting ready to start and that most of the students had already gotten seated. He saw the same group of jocks and popular people gathered in one corner of the room. The leader of the group was as usual, Ran Xin. Next to Xin sat his twin sister Liz. 

Xin was a basketball star and the first freshman co-captain of the team. Liz was one of the school's cheerleaders. They were both very popular on campus and they used that popularity to get what they wanted. 

Xin would date girls, then once he was finished having his fun, he would dump them. The same applied for Liz and the guys she dated. 

Often students would compare Syaoron and Xin. They were both star athletes in on their own teams, Xin on basketball and Syaoron on soccer. They were both able to make co-captain in their freshman year and both were considered the most eligible underclassmen bachelor. But that was where their similarities stopped. Xin was the kind of guy who would use the girls, who threw themselves at his feet, for his own enjoyment. While Syaoron would try to be nice to them even if he were trying to get away from him, and as such Syaoron had earned himself the title of one of the nicest guys on campus. 

Liz was always able to get any guy on campus to make fools of themselves for her, all except one. Syaoron couldn't care less if she liked him. That was probably the reason why she was always trying to get his attention. She had become so much of an annoyance that it felt like Meiling had never left. 

As soon as Liz saw Syaoron she waved to him. 

'Damn. What will it take to get it through that thick head of hers that I'm not interested?' thought Syaoron as he sat down on the seat farthest from their group. 

Liz seemed to be a bit disappointed by the result of her effort, but before she could do anything Professor Wong started the class. 

"Class today I am very pleased to announce that a foreign exchange student has transferred to our school, from Tokyo University. Please join me in welcoming Kinomoto Sakura." Professor Wong announced to the class.

As soon as Syaoron heard that the student was from Tokyo University his head snapped up and he began hoping that it would be his cherry blossom. Yet, there was still that little voice of negativity in the back of his mind that told him it couldn't be possible.

Then, when he heard her name he thought that he'd dreamt the entire thing. But as she entered the lecture hall he knew that it was not a dream but a realization of his fondest dream, to be with Sakura again. 

As she entered the room he heard the entire class go silent. When he looked at the faces of the guys in the class he could see the lust in their eyes for the newest beauty to appear on campus. As soon as he saw this he gave them all death glares. 

As he turned around to look at Sakura once again, he caught her eyes and saw his joy reflected in them.

Sakura introduced herself and was told that she could take any seat she wished. At the mention of this almost every guy in class made room for her. However, she chose to sit next to the man she secretly loved.

hhhhh

'She's Hot!' Xin thought as the new student entered the room. 'She'll make for an excellent prize.'

'Great, now she's choosing a seat.' Thought Xin. 'Come on, just look at me and I'll have you… Damn! She's sitting next to that Li guy.

hhhhh

'How dare she sit next to Syaoron. He's mine and no one can take him from me. That bitch!' Liz thought. 'I'll make her sorry she ever laid eyes on Syaoron.'

hhhhh

'Wow, I can't believe I'm in the same class as Syaoron.' Sakura thought as she sat down next to him. 'So I was right when I thought I felt him in here just before I came in.'

"Hi Li." Sakura whispered.

"Hi Sakura." Syaoron answered with one of his rare smiles. "I didn't know you had transferred here. You should have told me. Then I would have found you earlier."

"Sorry, it was Tomoyo-chan's and Eriol-kun's idea that it be a surprise." replied Sakura.

"Eriol and Tomoyo? I should have known that they would be behind this. " said Syaoron. "And stop calling me by my last name. It's so… formal."

"Then what should I call you?" asked Sakura.

"Syaoron." replied Syaoron simply.

"Okay, Syaoron." Sakura whispered, beaming with a smile so sweet it could give you a cavity. 'He wants me to use his first name! Could this be it? Could he actually feel something for me?'

'She used my first name! Could she care for me as more than as just a friend? Please let it be so. Please!' thought Syaoron as he mentally pleaded with any deity that would listen.

They fell into the lesson Professor Wong had been teaching with a serene smile on each of their faces and clear minds. Unconsciously they moved closer to each other as the lesson progressed. Until at the end of class they realized that their hands were touching.

They both blushed a dozen shades of embarrassment ranging from a pink hue to a dark crimson.

The two of them quickly left the lecture hall and rushed to get back to their dorms.

In their wake they left two very angry freshmen.

hhhhh

The two very flushed teens headed for their respective dorms. What they didn't realize was that they lived in the same building separated by only a foot and a half of building materials.

Sakura was able to get home first and rushed into the waiting elevator. She was so thoroughly embarrassed that she couldn't bear to see Syaoron. 

'I've made such a fool of myself in front of the one person I love more than life itself.' thought Sakura as the elevator took her to her floor.

At the same time a brown haired, red faced, Li Syaoron came rushing into the first floor lobby of his coed dorm. He stood there waiting for the elevator to come down but just didn't seem to have the patience so instead he bound up the stairs to his room on the forth floor. 

hhhhh

As soon as his door was closed, his knees gave out. He remembered Sakura's reaction to their hands touching in class as he slowly slid to the floor.

"What emotion was she showing? Surprise? Anger? Embarrassment? I just don't know!" yelled Syaoron to no one in particular.

'I should get a woman's view of it… I know I'll talk to Ming Yi.' thought Syaoron as he tried to figure out the answers to the millions of questions flying around in his head.

He acted on the idea as fast as it came to him. So within three minutes he was in front of her door poised to knock.

At the last minute he hesitated, unsure if it was a good idea. But finally after debating it with himself for a couple of minutes he brought his hands down on the door hoping that his Xiao Ming Yi would be able to help him.

The doors opened to reveal two girls in the room. A short Chinese girl that was his Xiao Ming Yi and a still slightly flushed Sakura sitting on her bed. 

Ming had a happy grin on her face and greeted her uncle with an enthusiastic "HI."

However, her grin was met by a wide-eyed look of surprise painted on Syaoron's face. 

When no sound came from the door Sakura turned to look at the people standing there. 

Again the look on Sakura's face was an exact copy of Syaoron's. Upon seeing this Ming became confused.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked.

All the other two could do was mutter something that sounded like an affirmative.

After Syaoron had regained enough of his composure to form words again. He asked, "How come Sakura is here?" Still with a bewildered look on his face.

"She's my new roommate." replied Ming.

"How come Syaoron is at your door Ming-chan?" asked Sakura never taking her eyes off of Syaoron.

"He's my uncle." Ming simply said.

hhhhh


	5. First Base

_Time Frame:__ Just after the last line in Chapter 4._

_ _

hhhhh

"She's/He's your what?" both Syaoron and Sakura yelled at the same time to Ming.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked both card captors once again.

"You never asked." was Ming's simple answer to both teens.

"Wait a minute, how can Syaoron be your uncle if he is the same age as you?" asked Sakura, as the expression on her face turned from one of surprise and shock to one of curiosity. 

"I don't really know myself." replied Ming. "But, I'm sure my UNCLE can tell you."

Syaoron had a very large sweatdrop on his forehead at the question from Sakura, and the stressing of the word 'uncle' by Ming in her response.

"Well it mainly has to do with the ages of her mother and my father," said Syaoron as he began to explain. "Her mother is my father's older sister's daughter. My father's sister was a lot older than my father was. Ming's mother is about the same age as my father and according to 'ber' I'm one level above Ming which technically makes me her second uncle."

He saw the look of confusion on Sakura's face had remained, so he continued with his explanation.

"Ber is essentially a system of levels in our family tree. Ming's grandmother and my father are on one level of the tree. Ming's mother and I are down one level. And Ming is lower by one more level." finished Syaoron.

Finally, a look of comprehension came upon her face.

Just before Sakura was about to open her mouth to ask why Syaoron was here. The door opened to reveal Tomoyo and Eriol.

They were as surprised as Sakura was at the site of Syaoron in Ming's room.

They asked the same questions as Sakura and got the same answers. Then as they began to relate the events, which led to this point, they got an idea. Eriol went led Syaoron to a corner of the room to talk to him, while Tomoyo had whispered her idea to Ming. Ming grinned devilishly and quickly agreed to go along with the plan.

hhhhh

"Do you love her?" was Eriol's simple question to his friend.

"What?" Syaoron almost shouted, surprised by the bluntness of his friend's question.

"Well do you?" asked Eriol again.

"I… I… um…" stammered Syaoron unable to simply say the words he knew to be true.

"Come on, we've all seen the way you stare at her and the way you seem to go completely brain-dead whenever she's around. Then there are the times when your face goes so red that you would make Rudolph's nose look pale," said Eriol trying to get his friend to talk.

"…"

"You have to tell her how you feel," pleaded Eriol. "She's been waiting for you for 3 years and now she comes after you in Hong Kong. It doesn't take a genius to figure out her feelings for you. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"All right, hypothetically speaking if I did have those kinds of feelings for Sakura-chan, what would you have me do?" asked Syaoron.

"Well for starters you came ask her out to do dinner," replied Eriol. "I mean it's about time you two went out on a date. You've known each other for 9 years and you haven't even gone out once."

"…"

"Well are you going to do it or not?" asked an eager Eriol.

"Yes," was Syaoron's simple response.

"Great," said Eriol. "Now how's about you go over and ask her now?"

"I don't know about that," replied a very nervous Syaoron.

"Go on, ask her," encouraged Eriol.

"Okay, okay, don't be so pushy."

hhhhh

While on the other side of the room Ming and Tomoyo were trying to convince Sakura of the same thing.

"Come on Sakura-chan how can you say that he doesn't feel anything for you if he kept sending you letters and cards after he left?" asked Tomoyo.

"If he did feel for me the same way that I feel for him then he should've told me by now," said Sakura. "It's been 9 years. That's more than enough time."

"For regular guys yes, but not for my uncle," said Ming. "Sakura-chan you should know better than anyone how dense my uncle is when it comes to the subject of emotions. He's been trained to be the leader of our clan since the day he was born. He's always been told that emotion was a luxury he could not afford. Now I know he loves you the same way you love him but he's just too shy to show it. He's never had the practice before."

"I guess I know that he loves me, but I'm just not sure if it's the same way that I love him," said a quiet Sakura. "I'm just afraid that he only loves me as a sister."

"Trust me when I say that he loves you as more than just a friend or a sister," said Tomoyo. "Just look at the way he acts when you're around. His face gets flustered every time you look at him. He protects you from anything and puts your life above his own. You should see the jealousy in his eyes every time another guys talks to you. And the death glare he gives guys who even look at you the wrong way. Didn't you ever wonder why very few guys ever tried to ask you out in school? Well it was because they were all afraid of Syaoron and they all knew that he liked you, so they kept their distance not because they didn't like you but because they wanted to be able to live." 

"Oh," was all Sakura could say. She had never noticed any of those things, and was only now beginning to understand.

"He truly does love you.He told me as much when he came back from Japan," said Ming. 

"But he was engaged to Meiling. So she should've been the one he loved. Shouldn't she?" asked Sakura, for the first time unsure of the conclusions she had reached about her relationship to Syaoron.

"He never loved her. He tolerated her and was engaged to her simply because of an arranged marriage. He never loved her," answered Ming. "He had the engagement cancelled shortly after he came back from Japan. Meiling was sad but eventually she got over it. That's why she's in the states and not here."

"Oh"

"Once when we were talking about his time in Japan he brought up a certain girl in Japan who had stolen his heart. This was shortly after he came back. He never mentioned you by name, but he did describe you in very stunning detail," said Ming.

"Really? What did he say about me?" asked Sakura, getting very anxious.

"He said that you had eyes like emeralds, with a face that was as delicate as porcelain, a spirit as gentle as a feather and as strong as a lion," replied Ming. 

Sakura had a far away dreamy look in her eyes as she contemplated Ming's words in her mind. 'Does he really love me as much as Tomoyo-chan and Ming-chan says he does? I sure hope so.'

Tomoyo and Ming smiled at each other, satisfied that the plan was working so well. They turned to the other side of the room and saw Syaoron being pushed towards them and knew that the other part of the plan had also succeeded. Inwardly they cheered at the prospect of playing matchmakers.

"Sakura?" asked Syaoron nervously.

Sakura's head snapped upon hearing the voice of her little wolf. "Yes?"

"Um… I…" Syaoron stammered, until Eriol gave him a soft smack on the back encouraging him to speak coherently. "Sakura would you like to go to dinner with me?"

To be continued…

hhhhh


	6. First Date

_Time Frame:__ Right after Syaoron asked Sakura to dinner but before she could answer._

_ _

hhhhh

"Yes," replied Sakura.

It took a few seconds for the answer to sink in for Syaoron. He had been expecting rejection even after the talk with Eriol that he hadn't realized that Sakura had said yes. But when he realized her acceptance his face changed from a stern expression set ready to accept disappointment to one of pure joy. His head snapped up and he immersed himself in those wonderful pools of emerald. "R…r…really? You'll go to dinner with me?" stammered Syaoron.

"Yes," repeated Sakura, as she shared his joy at the prospect of finally going out on a date.

Even though on the outside Syaoron remained as stoic as ever, on the inside he was doing cartwheels and he had the almost uncontrollable urge to just pick her up and kiss her until the end of time. But he remained the ever in control Clow master. However, his expression softens considerably. He even had a faint grin on his lips.

"Then… how does tonight sound?" asked Syaoron.

"Uh… perfect," answered Sakura.

"Then I'll pick you up at 7,"

"Okay."

And with that Syaoron left to get ready for the date with the girl of his dreams.

hhhhh

It was 10 minutes before Syaoron had to go pick up Sakura and he was going crazy. He had already made reservations at a nice Chinese restaurant. He had already finished dressing but he was stressing over whether or not the night would turn out the right way. He wanted his first date with Sakura to be perfect. He didn't want to leave anything to chance. As soon as he picked her up he would give her a bouquet of roses. A dozen pink ones surround a white one. Then he would drive her to the restaurant in his Audi. They would have dinner then go for a moonlit walk in the park. He just hoped that his plan would work the out the right way.

Just then there was a knock at my door and I proceeded to answer it. I had expected Eriol, Tomoyo or Ming to come down and ask me how I was doing and if I was ready but I wasn't ready to see Liz at my door. She had on this look that I knew all too well. She had tried to ask me out a few times and every time she had the same look on her face. At first I wasn't sure what the look was but one of my teammates had told me that it was the seductive look she used to get her guy, and it usually worked, usually. Most guys would have melted in her hands by now, but then again I am not most guys, and besides I was already head over heels in love with my cherry blossom.

"Hello," said Liz. "I was wondering if you would like to go with me to the movies."

"Hi," I replied. I hadn't been expecting her to be so direct. She was usually so coy. "I'm afraid I can't, I already have plans. Sorry." I was just trying to be polite even though I didn't feel so polite at the time.

She had a disappointed look on her face as she turned and left without another word.

I was surprised that she would leave so readily. But I didn't have time to worry about that. I had to pick up Sakura and if I wasn't there in 2 minutes then I would be late, and that would start the night off on the wrong foot. So I quickly grabbed the bouquet and my overcoat and rushed upstairs to pick up Sakura. 

As I neared her room I saw that Xin was in the hallway talking to someone. As I walked up to the door I noticed that he was talking to Sakura. I instantly became flushed and felt the all too familiar pangs of jealousy and rage well up inside of me, I was ready to burst until I saw Sakura. 

She was absolutely stunning. She had on a white silk blouse with a light pink cashmere sweater over it. She was wearing a pink silk georgette skirt down to just above her knees and white boots coming up to just below her knees. Her hair was a little longer than I remembered it. It fell to just above her shoulder. Her hair was left free and it fell about her like amber waves of an ocean that I could not reach. Her face held the same innocent happiness to it. And her eyes were as brilliant as ever. 

The moment her eyes met mine she instantly brightened. She seemed to be quite glad to see me so I was able to guess what Xin was here for. 

Xin saw the change and turned to see who it was that she was looking at. I could see the utter contempt in his eyes and a part of me was glad. Because this meant that I had spoiled his plans and that suited me just fine.

"Hello Xin," I said courteously but coldly.

"Li," he huffed out as a response. "So what do you say beautiful? Wonna go out with me?" he asked as he turned back to Sakura.

"Sorry but Sakura and I have a date," I interrupted before she was forced to answer him. I moved up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. This really made Xin made and he stormed of in the direction of the elevator with a visible scowl on his forehead.

I was cheering inwardly at this victory and turned back to see Sakura blushing furiously.

I also blushed and felt a bit embarrassed at my forwardness.

"Oh… how kawaii!" exclaimed Tomoyo and Ming from inside the room. I turned to see Tomoyo with her camera recording everything and Ming taking pictures with her digital camera.

Sakura and I sweatdropped while Eriol just shook his head at the pair recording our first date.

"Well we better be off before the restaurant gives away our reservation," I said. "And these are for you Sakura," as I handed her the flowers.

"They're beautiful," she said with a smile that could outshine a million stars.

"Maybe but they are not even close to matching you," I said.

She blushed at my compliment and then I took her hand and led her down the hall.

Behind us there were large flashes of bright light and a constant red light.

hhhhh

The pair arrived at the restaurant within a half-hour after they left campus grounds and were shone to their table. Their coats had been taken. Syaoron was wearing a black wool and cashmere blend overcoat and Sakura was wearing a simple white down coat that went down to her knees.

Shortly after they sat down they ordered their meal. As they waited for their food they stared to make small talk. Syaoron asked what happened with Xin and Sakura began to relate the story.

a Flashback c

It was about 15 minutes before Syaoron was to pick her up and she was still not ready. She stared to panic, she had been trying to pick out an outfit for over an hour and she was no closer now than she had been an hour before. She finally plopped down on her bed trying not to cry. She was going to ruin their first date and Syaoron would hate her for it.

Tomoyo had become exasperated and finally decided to take charge of the situation. She went to Sakura's closet and pulled out a few articles of clothing and flung them on the bed. "Where these," she commanded.

Sakura looked at the clothes and thought about it for a moment. Then after deciding that it was better than nothing, she put them on. Just as she was about ready there was a knock at the door. 

"Well I guess I won't have to go and rush him," said Eriol.

Sakura giggled a little as she opened her door to find that it was not the object of her affection standing there but instead someone she had never seen before.

"Hello, I'm Xin," introduced the young man with a smile on his face.

"Uh… do I know you?" asked Sakura.

"Not exactly, I'm in your calculus class," said Xin.

"Oh… hello, what can I do for you?" asked Sakura.

"I was wondering if you would like to go out with me?" queried Xin.

"Uh…" muttered Sakura as she tried to find a good way of letting him down easily. Just then she saw her little wolf coming to her rescue and she smiled. She saw him and had to keep herself from throwing her arms around him. Syaoron was wearing a forest green turtleneck cashmere sweater, a pair of black micro fiber slacks and black oxfords. He looked as handsome as ever and with his unruly auburn hair made him even more handsome and she felt safe just being around him and his green aura.

a End Flashback c

As Sakura finished her short monologue she saw that Syaoron was visibly bristling as if he was ready to kill Xin for even asking her out and putting her in such an awkward position. She could sense that it was in part due to jealousy, but mainly because he felt so protective of her that he didn't want anyone to cause her undue stress. She was touched by his concern and was about to reach for his hand when the food arrived. They ate in relative silence and snuck glances at each other. They didn't need to say anything to be happy all they needed was to be near each other. After they finished and had their plates taken away, they were served desert. As they slowly ate desert they simply stared at each other. 

Meanwhile outside the window the pair were sitting at there were two sets of watchers. The first set were their friends while the second set were Liz and her brother looking on and fuming. Neither group noticed the other.

As Tomoyo and Ming saw that the pair of lovebirds had stopped talking, they decided to set their plan into motion.

They began to instruct Sakura on what to do to make Syaoron squirm and lose control.

"Tousle your hair a little," Tomoyo instructed Sakura through the earpiece she had on.

She did as instructed and Syaoron looked at her more intently while he was trying to tell her about some of the things he did during the fall term.

"Rest your head in your hand."

"Sweep your hair over your ear."

"Touch your throat."

"Lightly touch his hand."

"Slide your feet up his leg a little."

"Bite your lips."

By this time Syaoron was beginning to breathe heavily and had all but stopped speaking. He was losing himself in the wonderful emerald pools. As Sakura's hand came in for another tantalizing touch, Syaoron took it in his hand and held it. He had become putty in her hands and was giving in to his instinctual desires. He slowly leaned in for a first kiss and she was meeting him half way. They were mere centimeters apart when the waiter brought over and dropped the check on their table. Syaoron came back to the real world and noticed that he had been so close and yet still so far. So with a low groan he pulled back. Sakura giggled as she heard him groan. And the two girls outside while disappointed that the moment was lost, was still giggling about how easy it was to strip away all of Syaoron's inhibitions. Eriol just shook his head at the weak-kneed response from his descendant. He had been expecting that Syaoron be stronger than that.

After he paid the bill they left the restaurant and started to walk to the nearby park.

As they walked, Syaoron finally made up his mind. He would tell her tonight. He knew that there would be dozens of guys banging down her door to get a date with her and he knew that he would go crazy from it. He didn't want Sakura to keep thinking that he felt nothing for her. He felt that if he didn't tell her soon then he would lose her forever.

He knew the park well and knew that there was a small lake near where them. So, he turned to her and took her hands.

"Sakura close your eyes," he said.

Sakura did as she was told with a smile creeping onto her face. But then a sudden pang of uncertainty hit her. 'What if he just wants to tell me that he doesn't feel anything for me beyond friendship? What if he just wants to tell me in a gentle way so as not to hurt my feeling? What if he doesn't want to look me straight when he tells me? What if…?' She was about to open her eyes when she felt herself being led somewhere. She decided to keep her eyes shut and to follow him.

He led her to a clearing next to the lake. It was a peaceful place. Surrounded by a beautiful field and with the full moon shining on the lake, it looked even better.

He let go of her hands and walked behind her. He slowly slid his arms around her waist, giving her plenty of time to pull away. But she never did. After his hands were finally clasped in front of her she rested her hands on his.

"Open your eyes," he said.

She didn't want to, she felt so comforted and warm ion those wonderful arms and she never wanted to leave them. However, she finally opened her eyes slowly. What she saw before her took her breath away. It was just so beautiful and what made it even more incredible was the thought that Syaoron cared enough to share this with her. 

"I found this place a year ago when I was walking through the park. It was so peaceful and beautiful. It was one of the few places in the city where I felt like I could be at peace with myself," explained Syaoron. "Once I was wandering around the park while I took a break from studying and I found myself here on a night similar to this. The beauty just took my breath away. And at that moment a memory came to my mind. Do you know what memory?"

Sakura shook her head.

"It was the memory of that time we had the trip to the beach. It was of that night when I found you alone on the beach. The beach by itself would have been beautiful, but with you there it became even more so. And I just thought what it would be like if you had been here with me."

By now Sakura's eyes were starting to water and she was trying hard not to cry the tears of joy she wanted to. 

Syaoron turned Sakura around in his arms and try to see into her eyes. But her eyes were downcast and no matter how he tried to get her chin up so he could gaze into the eyes that warmed his soul, she just wouldn't look at him. "Sakura I have something I need to tell you and I can't tell you if you won't look at me. Please Sakura look at me."

Eventually she turned her face up to him. He saw the tears that were threatening to burst and he felt that it was his fault. He quickly pulled her into a tight embrace and felt her arms cling to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't cry," was all he could get out as he tried to comfort her.

She was still sniffling when he pulled back, but he could see that the tears were gone. He looked into her eyes and suddenly everything else melted away. All his worries were left behind as he fell into the world where there were only two people, Sakura and himself. It was a wonderful world where nothing could ever break them apart.

"You said you had something to tell me?"

Sakura's question brought him out of his daze and back to the real world. He blinked a few times and just stared at her. He could never get enough of her. Unknown to him he softly blurted out the word "Aishiteru." 

Sakura gasped and felt as if she was lighter than air.

Syaoron was instantly berating himself for being so forward. 'Damn it she doesn't feel the same and now I've just ruined our friendship."

He started to pull away when suddenly Sakura pulled his head down for a kiss. She broke it all to quickly. "I'll understand it if what you just said was not exactly the truth, I'll understand if it was just a spur of the moment thing and I would never hold you to it, I'll understand… " 

As Sakura began to babble, Syaoron just smiled. He put a finger to her lips to silence her. "Shh… I meant what I said and I would never take it back."

"Are you sure? Because I would never hold it against you if you did."

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up," said Syaoron as he pulled her in for a second kiss.

Their second kiss was filled with all the pent up emotions they had been trying to sort out; it lasted for what seemed like an eternity.

After they finally broke the kiss they just held each other. "So does this mean that we are now a couple?" Syaoron asked as he stroked Sakura's hair.

"Yes I think it does."

"Good," said Syaoron with a broad smile.

While in the bushes there was a red light and behind the red light someone whispered, "Oh… how kawaii."

Unknown to everyone was the other set of eyes watching the happy couple. This set of watchers were carefully watching and planning all the different ways they could get back at the pair of card captors.

The End?

Hell no!

More to come so stay tuned…

hhhhh


	7. The Experiment

_Time Frame:__ Tomoyo and Eriol have returned to Tokyo to begin their spring semester. Sakura and Syaoron have been together for 2 weeks. The evil plan of Liz and her brother still hasn't been revealed._

_ _

_hhhhh_

'She's so beautiful,' thought Xin as he sat on the bleechers looking at the cheerleaders. All of them were stunning, but one shone above all the others. He was able to remain discreetly out of sight because of all the other men who had gathered to ogle the females. Most of them were there for the same reason as him. In the short time that Sakura Kinomoto had been on campus she had become a prize sought after by almost all the guys. They still desired her even though she was already attached to Li Syaoron. Most men were wise enough to stay away from the soccer star's girlfriend in preference of living. However, Xin was not most guys. He would have her and nothing would stop him from having her.

He had still been persistent in pursuing her even after the night he saw them kiss. He simply would not give up. Now however, she had begun to steer clear of him whenever possible. So with her rejection of him he could only look on from the sidelines, but soon he would have the perfect chance to take her. His grimace turned to a devilish smirk, he laughed a low guttural laugh with a coldness to it. 

'Soon my cherry blossom, very soon.'

hhhhh

'Man I'm sore,' complained Syaoron mentally as he made his way to the cheerleader's practice. He had just gotten out of soccer practice a little while ago. 

Syaoron continued to rub his sore muscles as he neared the field. Then he saw her. The moment he saw her beautiful emerald eyes shining and that million-watt smile shining in the afternoon light he no longer felt his sore muscles and bruised shins. Her mere presence was enough to make him forget all of his problems. He saw that the practice was winding down and so he hid himself from view so as to surprise her.

As practice wound down the cheerleaders began to disperse and soon Sakura was one of the few still left on the field. She was talking to Yuan Yuan about one of the sequences they had to do. She never noticed Syaoron coming up behind her. Yuan saw him but was hushed before she could say anything by an index finger placed on Syaoron's lips. She knew what he was planning and kept silent waiting to see the reaction in her friend.

He slowly slid up behind her. Stopped. And quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. As she turned her head to see who it was, letting out a short yelp of surprise, he clamped his lips down on hers. 

For a moment she was stiff in his arms. But as the realization of her boyfriend's lips on her sank in, she gradually relaxed. She turned in his embrace to face him and to make kissing him a bit easier.

Eventually she broke away. "Later," said Sakura before Syaoron could kiss her again.

"Why?" pouted Syaoron.

"'Cause I'm sweaty from the long practice."

"I don't mind," stated Syaoron as he bent his head down to plant butterfly kisses on her neck.

"I need to take a shower," giggled Sakura as his kisses tickled her.

"Can I join you?" he asked as he nibbled at her earlobe.

"Syaoron!" exclaimed Sakura as she reluctantly pushed him away. "You should take a shower yourself, you smell like a Neanderthal."

"All the more reason why I should join you. You can wash my back and I can wash yours."

Sakura giggled at the idea of the two of them in the showers together. "Now that wouldn't be very proper."

"Who cares," said Syaoron as he lifted her off the ground and cradled her in his arms.

Sakura let out a startled cry but was quickly silenced by his hungry lips.

"What has gotten into to you today?" asked Sakura as she broke away.

"I've just been missing you."

"I don't see you for 24 hours and you turn into a love crazed maniac?" queried Sakura while she still remained in his protective arms.

"I go crazy when I don't see you for an hour."

"Well in that case lets do an experiment," said Sakura as she jumped out of Syaoron's arms. "Lets see how long you can last without kissing me."

"Not very long if you keep wearing that cheerleading uniform."

"Okay, we'll start the test after we change." And with that she rushed of to the locker room to change, leaving a very amused Syaoron.

hhhhh


	8. Time Together

_Time Frame:__ After the pair of Card Captors arrived back at their dorm. They are in Syaoron's room studying for a calculus exam._

_Translations:__ Mei Shi (Chinese)-No problem_

hhhhh

"Argh! I'll never understand this!" exclaimed Sakura after she was unable to do a volume problem using integration.

"Calm down and let me see what has you so excited," said Syaoron. 

"Look at question 39 and you'll understand why I'm ready to burn this text book."

"Hmm… It doesn't look that hard," said a thoughtful Syaoron. "Here just do this." As he showed Sakura how to do the problem.

"Oh! I get it. Thanks," said Sakura as she leaned over and gave Syaoron a butterfly kiss.

Syaoron tried to deepen the kiss as she pulled away. She placed a finger on his lips and pushed him back.

"Remember the little experiment?" Syaoron nodded. "Well it's still going on."

"But you just kissed me," whined the Card Master.

"Yes, I kissed you. I can kiss you. You're the one who can't kiss me," explained Sakura.

"That's not fair," pouted Syaoron.

"I know, that's why it's so fun," giggled Sakura.

Syaoron muttered something under his breath and went back to his studying. Sakura also went back to her practice questions. They remained like this for another hour before Syaoron finally couldn't resist the urge to hold her. 'Hell, if I can't kiss her then I'll do the next best thing, I'll hold her,' thought Syaoron as he got up from his place at one end of the sofa and slid over to Sakura. 

She could sense him coming and could barely control the blush that was coming to her cheeks. She didn't look up as he slid alongside her and pulled her to his side. He slides his arms around her waist and pulled her to his side of the couch. While all of this was going on Sakura still tried to look at her work. 

Syaoron noticed that she didn't seem to be paying him too much attention even though he had just moved her across the couch. 'Trying to act cool huh? We'll see about that,' thought Syaoron as he slowly moved his hands to her sides and began to tickle her.

Sakura tried to control her laughter at first but after a few seconds of tickling she just couldn't take it and burst out laughing. "I give, I give, Mercy!" cried Sakura.

By now they were both laughing and had forgot all about the math exam the next day. "Your wish is my command, my love," said Syaoron. He slowly stopped tickling her and just settled for having his arms around the woman he loved. 

He rested his head next to hers. His legs were straddling her from behind. 

She turned her head so that she was facing him. She could smell the faint scent of his cologne mixed in with his natural autumn scent. She was so happy just to be in his arms. So Sakura closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the simple pleasure of being in her gentle warrior's protective embrace.

Syaoron could smell the cheery blossom scent of his Yong Fa. Her hair was so soft next to his cheek and he just couldn't get enough of her.He just wanted to sit here forever.

The moment was broken by the sound of someone knocking at the door. 

Sakura was about to get up to answer the door when Syaoron pulled her back down. "Maybe they'll go away," he suggested.

Sakura nodded and settled back into the curvature of her boyfriend's body.

A few moments later there was another knock. Followed by another a few moments later, this time louder.

Sakura once again tried to get up to answer the door, but was pulled down by Syaoron again. "No, I'll get it. You keep studying, you need it more than me."

He walked to the door and opened it to reveal his fellow co-captain from the soccer team. "Hello, Jia-luo how can I help you?" Syaoron inquired.

"Hi Syaoron, sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if you would be willing to put your name in the run for the Valentines' Day Dance Bachelor Auction?" asked Jia-luo.

"Uh… I guess. Why aren't you doing it?" replied Syaoron.

"Well, I am."

"Then why are you still asking me?"

"The Basketball, Baseball, and Swimming teams are challenging us to do it in order to see who could raise the most money and all the teams are picking their three most popular guys."

"Okay. Tell me the details later."

"Kay, thanks Syaoron."

"Mei shi."

Syaoron closed the door as Jia-luo left. He turned to see Sakura smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Well, I'm just surprised that you agreed to it. You would never have done that back when we were in Tomoeda."

"Well I've changed quite a bit since then," Syaoron smiled as he slid back on the couch and pulled Sakura close. "So how far are you along with the practice questions?"

"I'm not doing so good," said Sakura. "I'm stuck on question 56. I don't know if I should use dy or dx for the integral."

"Let me see. Hmm… You use dx because it is rotated around the x-axis."

"Oh… Okay. Thanks," said Sakura as she gave Syaoron a light kiss on the lips.

"How do you expect me to do your experiment if you keep kissing me?" complained Syaoron.

As answer, Sakura just giggled.

Syaoron muttered something in Chinese under his breath and went back to studying.

They had been studying for about an hour and they had started to fall asleep. It was just too comfortable sitting on the plush couch and holding each other. Then there came a knock at the door. Syaoron was still close enough to consciousness to register the knock. He carefully lifted Sakura and then gently placed her on his bed, he took her slippers off and pulled a down comforter over her. He took the notes and the textbook and placed them on his desk. He then carefully treaded over to the door and opened it carefully. Outside he saw that it was Yuan. 

"Hi, sorry to barge in like this but could I speak to Sakura?" asked Yuan. "I went to her dorm room and Ming told me that she was with you."

"I guess, hold on for a minute." Syaoron walked back over to Sakura and gently shook her. "Sakura," he whispered. "Yuan is here to see you."

Slowly Sakura woke up and stared sleepily at Syaoron letting his words cut into her sleep-fogged mind. "Okay." She finally said sitting up.

Syaoron helped her to her feet and over to the door. There he left her to talk with Yuan and went back in to clean up his desk and to put everything away.

"Hi Yuan, what did you want to see me about?" asked Sakura.

"Hi Sakura, I wanted to see if you wanted to be in the Bachelorette auction for the Valentines' Day Dance."

"I guess, but don't we have enough girls for that already?"

"We did, but four of the girls have come down with mono. So they won't be there. We needed replacements and you were the logical choice."

"Hmm… Sure, I'll do it."

"You will? Great! I'll call you with the details later."

"Sure, I'll talk to you later then," said Sakura as Yuan walked away.

Sakura closed the door to see an amused grin on Syaoron's face. "What?"

"Nothing," but upon seeing the expression of annoyance on her face he said. "It's just that I never pictured you as the sort of person to be willing to do this."

"Well I usually don't, but it is for a friend."

"Yeah, I guess."

Sakura lazily walked back to the bed and fell on the pillow. 

Syaoron smiled at this and walked over to her. Then he thought 'oh, why not.' He moved to lie on the bed next to Sakura and pulled the comforter over them. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. 

She turned around in his arms so that she was facing him. She had her eyes half closed and a perfectly contented smile on her face. She just couldn't seem to get enough of those amber eyes. But she was so tired from having to learn all that calculus and so slowly she drifted off to sleep.

Syaoron watched his angel sleep in his arms and almost couldn't resist the urge to kiss her. She was just so beautiful. He stroked her hair and softly caressed her cheeks. She was so delicate and he just felt that he had to protect her no matter what, even if it cost him his own life. He remade the promise he made nine years ago. He promised that he would protect her from anything and to make sure that her happiness was paramount above all else. And with that thought he drifted off to the realm of dreams to join his cherry blossom.

hhhhh

Sakura slowly woke up. She felt safe and comforted; it was the best nap she had ever taken. She was in such a restful slumber. She still felt Syaoron's arms around her waist and felt his steady heartbeat. His scent was intoxicating. He smelled like a cool autumn day in the park, with the faint scent of grass and sandalwood. She felt as if she could stay like this forever, in his arms.

She just lay like that for a few minutes until finally Syaoron started to stir. 

He opened his eyes to see the dazzling emerald eyes, blindingly bright smile, delicate and beautiful china-doll face and downy soft cinnamon hair. And he was reminded again of how she had captured his heart and soul.

Sakura's stomach grumbled bringing the pair back to the real world. Sakura smiled sheepishly and Syaoron just cupped her face. He was about to kiss her when she put a finger to his lips. "Remember the experiment," she simply said.

The pleading look in Syaoron's eyes made Sakura's heart melt. So she gave him a butterfly kiss on his lips and tauntingly told him that the wait would be worth it.

Finally Syaoron got up and stretched.His stomach also began to make noises, which caused his cheeks to turn a nice shade of pink. "Come on, I'll make you dinner."

Sakura gladly followed Syaoron to the kitchen of the common room on his floor. Because there were so few people who lived on this floor they had the kitchen mostly to themselves.

Sakura went to sit on the couch and watch some television, while Syaoron went into the kitchen and started to cook some Chinese food.

In little over a half an hour Syaoron had prepared a great dinner for the two of them.

The first course was soup; the soup served was hot and sour soup, soup that is difficult to make if you want it to be good. Syaoron's soups was perfect. The next was the main dishes. Hong Shau Du Dang (Steamed Fish Covered in Special Sauce), Cheng Pi Niou Liou (Fried Strips of Beef in Orange Sauce), Yu Xiang Rou Si (Spicy Pork in Special Garlic Sauce), and Jia Chang Do Fu (Home Style Spicy Tofu). And for desert it was sweet green bean paste.

After dinner Sakura helped Syaoron clean up the dishes and the table. Then they retreated to Syaoron's room and settled on his couch and put a DVD movie into his DVD player. It was an old romance movie made in the early '90's it was one of the few romance films that Syaoron actually enjoyed.

The movie was moving no matter how many times the two of them had watched it.

Sakura eventually fell asleep in Syaoron's arms. As the movie ended Syaoron looked down at his cherry blossom and smiled. 'I must have done something very right in the previous life to deserve her,' he thought to himself. He turned off the TV and DVD player and gently lifted her up and walked over to his bed. He placed her on the bed and gently removed her sweatshirt. She was wearing a t-shirt underneath so it was okay. He took off her socks and brought her legs up onto the bed. He went to his phone and called Ming. He told her that Sakura would be spending the night at his place. He simply didn't have the heart to wake her up again. He went into the bathroom, took a shower and changed into his pj's. After he had turned out all the lights he settled into bed with Sakura's back curving into his chest. He didn't sleep at first but just lay there with his arms around her and thanked his lucky stars to simply be with Sakura. She was the light of his life, the person who gave meaning to his existence and his soul mate. He would be at her side no matter what. He would always protect her. And on that thought he finally drifted off to sleep.

The last thought that was on his mind and the last word he spoke before he let sleep take him was "Always…"

To be continued…

hhhhh


	9. Next Day I

_Time Frame:__ The next morning._

_Arthur's Notes:__ Sorry the chapters are coming out so slow, but I have a lot of work from school. _

_So please don't hate me because of it. I try to release one chapter every 2 to 3 days if not sooner._

_I just found out that Syaoran is the correct form of spelling his name, not Syaoron. _

_However, for the consistency of the story I will continue to use Syaoron._

_Translations:__ Wei-the Chinese equivalent of Moshi Moshi._

_Just like Syaoron stands for Xiao Lang, which means little wolf._

_Syaohu means little tiger._

_ _

hhhhh

The wind chime sounded softly as a gentle breeze jingled it and died out as quickly as it had entered. Syaoron's eyes opened slowly and found himself staring into the face of a sleeping beauty. Sometime during the night Sakura had turned in Syaoron's arms to face him. She had her head pillowed on his right arm. Her hands were clasped on his chest and her hair was spread out around her like an amber halo. She had a soft smile on her lips and the expression of pure contentment made her even more beautiful. 

Syaoron turned around to look at the clock on his wall and saw that it was almost 9. 'Well at least its Saturday, that means we wont have to get up until we feel like it," thought Syaoron as he turned back to his Ying Fa. She looked so peaceful, and with the smile on her face and the soft light, diffused by the curtains, lighting her features in a vibrant hue, she looked so much like the girl he fell in love with all those years ago. 

He wanted to kiss her, but he knew that if he did that then he would be admitting to himself that he wasn't as strong as he thought. And that was something he simply would not do. But then again it was becoming so hard to be with her and not kiss her. There had been no shortage of kisses since they became a couple, but she was just something that he could never get enough of. He could stay here and stare at her heavenly features until the end of time, but he wanted to kiss her until then even more. Sakura was by no stretch of the imagination weak or the kind of person who needed to be protected, yet when he looks at her he feels not only love, devotion, loyalty and warmth, he also feels an incontrollable urge to protect her. He would gladly give his life if it could mean that she would never be harmed in any way. He would give anything to know that she would always be happy. 

He had been staring at her the whole time that these thoughts went through his mind and had felt that his love for her could never be greater then it already was. But he was wrong, he could never love her enough and he would never be able to deserve her or her love, all he could do is make sure that she was happy and to love her with every last fiber of his being.

Even though he was staring at her with so much concentration, he still didn't notice her opening her eyes until she spoke.

"Morning handsome," said Sakura.

"Huh? Oh! Good morning sleeping beauty," Syaoron said as he was shaken from his thoughts by her melody of a voice.

"When did you wake up?" Sakura asked.

"About ten minutes ago," replied Syaoron as he looked over at the clock again and realizing that he had been thinking for 10 minutes.

"So what do you want to do today?" queried Sakura.

"I don't know, but staying here is pretty nice."

As he said this he pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers. Sakura giggled at his answer and this made him smile. Her happiness was always so infectious and no one ever seemed to be able to be sad when they were around her when she was happy. 

Then just as he was pulling her closer and she was holding onto him tighter, her stomach growled. 

"Well it appears that your stomach has different ideas about how we spend our day."

This made Sakura to laugh sheepishly and sweatdrop a little.

Reluctantly Syaoron pulled himself away from his love and padded over to his chair and picked up a pair of sweat pants and put them on. "Go take a shower while I make breakfast. It should be done by the time you're done." As he turned around to look at her he suddenly felt a lump in his throat. She was wearing the same things she had on last night when she fell asleep. She had on a large t-shirt and it fell slightly off her left shoulder and the shine on her soft brown hair, she looked even more like a goddess. Syaoron felt the familiar stirrings of his body every time he saw the innocence of her features. To avoid being embarrassed he quickly turned and left the room to prepare their food.

hhhhh

When he returned he found her drying her hair with one of his green towels. She had changed into a light pink v-neck shirt and a pair of jeans. Even in such simple clothes and without makeup she still looked more beautiful than all the models of the world put together.

He walked over to the couch and placed the tray with all the food on the coffee table. He sat down in front of the couch and waited until she was done. She put down the towel and walked over to the love of her life and sat down in between his legs.

"Hey! I can't eat like this," complained Syaoron.

"So?"

Syaoron didn't seem to have an answer for that one word question and he thought to himself, 'What is wrong with me? I have the most beautiful woman on the face of this planet sitting between my legs and I'm complaining. I must be a fool if I'm complaining about this.'

He didn't answer and instead just he slid his arms around her waist and she started to eat.

They ate breakfast and discussed what they would do today. As they did so Sakura would feed Syaoron his food. They would alternate using the fork and Sakura was always the one who would be using it. The whole time all that Syaoron would do was hold her close and served as her cushion. 

After they finished breakfast, Syaoron got up and went to clean the dishes. Sakura sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. She watched some random shows until Syaoron was done with the dishes. He came back and settled down on the couch. Sakura moved over to sit next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Syaoron circled his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer. They sat like this until the show ended.

"So what do you wanna do today? Besides staying in," asked Syaoron. 

"I don't know," replied Sakura. "You decide."

Syaoron seemed to ponder this for a moment until the phone rang. He reached over to the coffee table and picked up the handset. 

_Beep._

"Wei?"

"Hi uncle," replied Ming.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" said Syaoron. "So what's up?"

"Not much, Yuan just called me to ask if I wanted to go to the mall with her, and I was wondering if the two of you would like to go with us."

"Two of us?"

"Of course. Sakura didn't come back last night and there wouldn't be any other place where she would be."

"Oh… sure I guess we'll go with you."

"Cool, meet us on the food court next to the McDonald's in about an hour, okay?"

"Kay, see you there."

_Click._

"Well now we do have something to do," said Syaoron as he turned to Sakura. 

"Why? Where are we going?" asked Sakura as she was brushing her hair.

"We're meeting Ming, Yuan and a few others at the food court of the mall in an hour."

"Oh, okay. I guess we better get ready."

"Yup," said Syaoron as they got up and went to change.

They had agreed to meet in his room in 15 minutes and Sakura left to go back to the dorm room she shared with Ming to change. Syaoron picked some random things from his closet and proceeded to change out of his sweat pants and t-shirt.

Exactly 15 minutes later there was knock on his door, and Syaoron turned to open it and found his love on the other side. She was wearing a simple whit sweater and the same jeans she wore earlier. She held in her arms her white down coat. She till had no makeup on, so her natural beauty shone even more. He noticed that she was giggling and wondered why that was. Then he noticed that his mouth was hanging open and he could have sworn that he was drooling.

He quickly closed his mouth and grabbed his overcoat. He closed his door and locked it. He turned around and took her hand. They walked to the elevator and pushed the down button, when it came and the door opened, they walked in and headed down to the lobby.

They got in Syaoron's forest green Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and drove off towards the mall.

It took them nearly 40 minutes to get to the mall and another few minutes to find a parking space. By the time they got to the food court they were late by about 6 minutes. They saw the group of their friends at one of the tables closer to the promenade. 

Jia-luo the junior co-captain of the soccer team was sitting next to Ming, his girlfriend. Yuan sat next to her boyfriend, Leung Shan, a sophomore member of the swimming team. Qiou sat next to her boyfriend, Li Syaohu, a junior track star and cousin of Syaoron's. 

Ming saw the two of them approach and waved to them. As the others noticed the pair of Card Captors approaching, they too waved hello to their friends. 

Syaoron and Sakura came up to the table just as the rest of the group stood up. 

"Now that we're all here, we can decide on what we want to do fro today," said Ming, holding Jia-luo's hand. 

Syaoron and Syaohu warily eyed the man who was not only holding their niece's hand but also her heart. Jia-luo seemed to cringe under the intense gaze of his co-captain and his roommate. Ming however, didn't seem fazed at all. She pulled Jia-luo's head own and kissed him. This caused her 'uncles' to fall down anime style.

Ming pretended not to notice the silly attitudes of her relatives and suggested that the girls and the guys go off in different groups and do their own thing. Most everyone agreed to this, but it was a bit harder to drag Sakura and Syaoron apart. Eventually the others managed to separate the pair, and pulled them off in different directions to do some shopping. 

hhhhh

Meanwhile across the promenade Xin had been watching the group closely along with some of his guys. They were the inner circle of the school basketball team and they were led by Xin. 

After the lovebirds were pulled apart by their friends Xin saw his chance to move in and take his prize. He and his group proceeded to follow the heavenly cherry blossom.

hhhhh

After three hours of shopping every store in the mall the girls were tired, but happy. Each had almost a dozen bags and each had spent far too much money.

They sat on one of the benches by the food court. This was where they told the guys to meet them after they were finished. The plan was to go shopping for about three hours then get lunch and after lunch, the group would relax with a movie.

While the girls were waiting for their guys Xin and his guys came up to them.

None of the girls were too happy to see Xin and his group of dumb jocks. Even though their boyfriends were all jocks, they were also highly intelligent and all four of the guys had some level of training in the traditional kung fu fighting stances of China. 

"Hello ladies. What brings you to the mall on a beautiful day like this?" asked Xin as he walked up to Sakura. "Wouldn't it be nicer if you were outside in the sun?"

"You may be right about that," answered Sakura.

"Yeah, we'll tell our boyfriends when they get back," piped in Qiou.

"Why wait for those slowpokes when you have perfectly fine men here, now?" asked Zhou Tim, a freshman guard, as he tried to be get the attention of Qiou.

"Yeah, we'd be more than willing to escort such beautiful ladies as yourself to the park," added Kin Lee, a sophomore forward, bowing in an over exaggerated manner for Ming.

"Thanks but no thanks, we'll wait for our boyfriends," replied Yuan, with an emphasis on the word 'boyfriend', as she was trying to ignore the flirtatious looks sent to her by Sou Max, a sophomore guard.

Xin was not at all put off by the obvious rebuttals by four of the most beautiful girls on campus. And in their next series of entreaties they became more insistent. They weren't willing to take 'no' for an answer.

Sakura and the girls were starting to get nervous by the lustful and determined looks the basketball players were giving them. But then she felt an all to familiar aura nearing them, and suddenly her fears melted away to be replaced by the sense of warmth and security the green presence provided.

"Today is such a wonderful day it's a shame to have to spe…" offered Xin in yet another and this time more insistent manner. However, this time he was interrupted by the piercing words of one Li Syaoron.

"Hello Xin," greeted Syaoron in a calm tone. His face was a mask, which revealed no emotions. His eyes however, were glaring daggers at Xin. And if looks could really kill, then Xin and a hundred generations of his descendants would have been dead already. The athletes who stood with him were doing similar things to the men who were trying to court their girlfriends.

"Hello Li," spat out Xin as if it were something distasteful. 

"Excuse us, but we are here to pick up our girlfriends," said Syaohu as he tried to reach for Qiou's hand.

Tim however, got in the way of Syaohu's hand. "I'm sorry but we were talking to them."

"Right, you were talking, we were waiting for them," said Ming as she pointed to their boyfriends.

"So now, if you will excuse us we will leave you to your 'talk'," said Jia-luo as he took hold of Ming's hand and pulled her to him.

The other's did likewise and wrapped their arms around their significant others to comfort them. 

As the four couples turned to leave Xin placed a hand on Syaoron's shoulder to stop him. "I'm sorry but we weren't finished," he said in a cold tone dropping all pretense of civility. 

"You are now," said Syaoron as he brushed Xin's hand off his shoulder.

That had been the last straw for Xin, 'No one turns their back to me.' He proceeded to work himself up to punching Syaoron's head from behind as the couple walked away from him.

Syaoron had sensed that Xin was going to attack and decided to end it quick. Just as Xin was getting close enough to punch Syaoron, he brought his arm up in a swift and clean motion smashing it right into Xin's nose. The force of the powerful blow sent Xin crashing back into his men and sent them all to the floor. The couples turned around once again to see Xin's nose bleeding and probably broken. 

"Stay away from Sakura Xin or next time it'll be more than just your nose," warned Syaoron with a fire in his eyes and a glare that would make even the bravest of men quiver in fear.

With that said the group turned and left the scene. They decided to leave the mall and eat at another location. They headed for a Chinese restaurant about a block away from the mall and had lunch. 

After lunch they drove to a nearby multiplex and saw the new Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

During the movie the four couples snuggled and whispered sweet nothings to each other.

Sakura had all but forgotten about the episode at the food court. However, Syaoron had been racking his mind about what he did. He had been thinking so much that he hadn't heard Sakura speaking to him, and when he didn't respond after a few minutes she started to get concerned. 

"What's wrong?" asked Sakura.

"Huh… Oh nothing," replied Syaoron halfheartedly.

"I don't believe you. C'mon tell me what's wrong," asked Sakura again.

He looked at her face and noticed the concerned look on her face.

"Well I guess its just that… I'm sorry," admitted Syaoron.

"For what? For hitting that oaf of a man, Xin?" queried Sakura. "Well if it is about that then there is nothing for you to be sorry about. He deserved it. He just would leave us alone and if you didn't get there when you did, I think that either Ming or I would have decked him."

"It's not about that that I'm sorry for. I know that he deserved it and I feel no remorse that I did it. It's just that I feel bad that you had to see that side of me. I'm sorry that you had to see me when I'm like that. I never wanted you to see that side of me, the side that just loses control and does things without thinking them through."

"Well weren't those times that you caught Clow Cards with me, times that you were like that?"

"No, because during those times I was fighting because it was my duty to capture the cards and to protect you. The incident with Xin was where I did it simply because I felt like it and I did it because I wanted to hurt him."

"Well in a way you were protecting me and the others because if you and the guys didn't come back when you did, then who knows what they would have tried on us."

Syaoron seemed to think about this and finally found that it was a very logical way of reasoning his actions. Even if it didn't take away his guilt, it most certainly did help justify his actions. And he was happy with that. 

"You know, you're very smart," said Syaoron.

"I know, that's why you love me," said Sakura with a bright smile.

"No, I love you because you have a pure heart and soul. I love you for your kindness, for your thoughtfulness, for the way you put the needs of others above your own and for the way you are able to make me smile when nothing else can."

His words just seemed to make her smile even more brilliantly and with intensifying of her smile the same could be said of her beauty. She was even more beautiful on the dim light of the Movie Theater. It silhouetted her features and gave her a mysterious quality. As his gaze became even more intense he slowly moved closer to her until their lips were mere centimeters apart. 

She was just so beautiful. He just couldn't resist anymore. 'Oh, to hell with the experiment,' he thought as he finally closed the distance between them and kissed her with all the pent up passion of a whole lifetime. It was as if he hadn't kissed her for an eternity when in reality it had barely been 24 hours since they last kissed. 

The kiss lasted until they had to break away for lack of oxygen. And as soon as they were breathing again he pulled her in for another long earth shattering kiss. After they broke away for a second time they just settled into each other's arms and enjoyed the rest of the movie. Syaoron wasn't really watching the movie. Instead he was thanking whatever gods there were that he had Sakura and that she loved him. He would occasionally kiss her forehead and hold her tighter just to remind himself that this wasn't a dream but a reality and that if this was indeed a dream then it was one he would never want to wake up form.

To be continued…

hhhhh


	10. Next Day II

_Time Frame:__ After the movie everyone went to have dinner at a nearby restaurant._

_ _

hhhhh

"The food here is pretty good," said Ming as she took Jia-luo's hand.

"Yeah, I really liked the soup and the way the eggs were so fluffy," commented Yuan.

"So now what do we do?" asked Syaohu still eyeing Jia-luo like the protective uncle he is. Qiou noticed this and gave him a good nudge in the ribs telling him to 'cut it out.'

"How about going to that new dance club?" proposed Ming pointedly ignoring her relative.

Everyone thought about this for a few moments and eventually everyone but Syaoron gave their approval for the idea.

Under the curious gaze of his friends and relatives he simply said, "I can't dance," as a simple response to their unspoken question.

"So? Neither can I," said Shan. "And I'm still going."

"Yeah it doesn't matter if you know how to dance or not, you can still have a good time and in the end that's all that really matters," said Ming. "Besides it wont be any fun without you, so will you pleeeeeaaaaase come?"

"Yeah, you have to come. Unless of course you want me to dance with some stranger," teased Sakura.

At the mention of Sakura with anyone else Syaoron abruptly said, "C'mon lets go."

Sakura and Ming grinned mischievously to each other knowing that under their ministrations the almighty Li Syaoron had cracked.

Syaoron and Sakura got into his Jeep. Ming, Jia-luo, Yuan and Shan got into Ming's Black Lincoln Navigator. And Syaohu and Qiou got into his silver Porsche Boxter. They drove out of the restaurant's parking lot and headed for the club. It took them less than 10 minutes to get there. They parked their cars in the parking lot at the back and went around to the front. 

Sakura saw the long line at the front and groaned, "We're gonna be on line for a while."

Ming and the other girls merely giggled and the guys chuckled. "You've never been around town with my uncle have you?" asked Ming.

"No, why?" queried a puzzled looking Sakura.

Syaoron was walking up to the two bouncers in front at the front door as Sakura had the puzzled look plastered on her face. Syaoron whispered something into the ears of one of the bouncers and the pair of sentinels stepped out of the way for him. He in turn stood to the side and ushered the rest of the group into the club.

Sakura was wondering what Syaoron had said to the bouncer to get them inside. As she walked past Syaoron she gave him a quizzical look which told him that she didn't understand what had just happened. All he did was give her a loving smile and whispered the words "I'll tell you later" into her ears.

The sound of music being blasted became louder as they entered the club. Inside the scene was reminiscent of controlled chaos. There were scary looking bouncers posted at all corners of the structure. The dance floor was on the primary level of the club. Small tables surrounded it. The bar was crowded to capacity with patrons. 

A half-level up were booths, which were reserved for the wealthier, each or these booths had private waiters or waitresses. While the base level had such serving people going around all over the place. On the second half level were even more private booths that had groups of serving people. 

The DJ was blasting techno mixes and hip-hop all over the club. There was also a stage for a live band. It appeared that the band was on a break because their equipment was present, but there were no musicians. 

Sakura felt hands wrap around her waist and turned to see Syaoron standing behind her. "What do you think?"

"It's very… nice," replied Sakura.

"Guys, c'mon," said Ming as she waved to the pair from the second level.

"C'mon lets go sit with the others," said Syaoron as he pulled Sakura to the booth that the group had taken on the first half-level. The others had already ordered their drinks and were waiting for Sakura and Syaoron to do the same. 

"I'll have a Margarita," said Syaoron.

"A Strawberry Daiquiri for me," said Sakura.

"Let's go dance," said Yuan as she dragged Shan off to the dance floor.

"Yeah!" exclaimed both Qiou and Ming as they dragged their boyfriends off to join their friends.

This left only Sakura and Syaoron at the booth. Syaoron didn't really want to go dancing, but he knew that Sakura would eventually want to go dance. So he got up and said, "I'll be right back."

Sakura sat there trying to keep up with the movements of her friends on the dance floor. However, as they moved deeper into the crowd it became harder and harder to keep track of them, eventually she just stopped trying, she closed her eyes, settled back and enjoyed the steady beat of the music. 

"So what's a beautiful girl like you doing, alone at a place like this?" asked a strange voice.

Sakura opened her eyes to see a tall teen, jet-black hair and brown highlights, long bangs, hazel eyes, and a cocky grin on his face. He seemed to be pleased with the corny line he used. Behind him she could see two other teens of similar age, chuckling at their friends dumb come-on line. They all wore wide legged Jnco jeans and short-sleeved polo shirts. They were around 17 or 18 and probably got in on fake ID's. 

"Enjoying the music," said Sakura trying to be polite.

"May I join you?" asked the teen again who sat down without asking. "I'm Nelson Chin, what's your name?"

"Sakura," replied Sakura in an emotionless tone.

"Just Sakura?" 

"Yes," said Sakura simply. 'Where are you Syaoron? Get back here now!'

"So would you care to dance?" asked Nelson with a little less confidence in his voice. 

"No," answered Sakura in an almost menacing way. She had kept her eyes pealed for any sign of Syaoron during the whole conversation, pointedly avoiding Nelson.

"Why not? I mean its not like you're doing anything," reasoned Nelson. "You're here and I'm here, so why don't we make the best of things and enjoy what we can."

Sakura chose not to give him a response this time, seeing as how every time she said anything it led to more attempts by Nelson to entice her to dance with him.

Evidently he took her silence as consent and reached for her hand. Before she knew what was happening she felt herself being pulled to her feet. She turned to glare daggers at him as she felt a familiar tingle in the back of her senses. 

Sure enough within seconds Syaoron showed up and had his firm hands on nelson's wrist. "What do you think you're doing with MY girlfriend?" demanded a very pissed Syaoron.

"Just taking the lady for a spin on the dance floor," replied a rather shaken but still confident Nelson. 

"I don't think so," said Syaoron through clenched teeth. "Let go of her hand." He was on the verge of losing his temper at the teen in front of him who would dare to force his precious cherry blossom into doing anything.

"Okay, okay," said Nelson as he released Sakura and backed away.

Sakura immediately went behind the protective form of her little wolf. And indeed he was a wolf, for at the he was giving the death glares of all death glares. 

Nelson seemed to shrink a few sizes until his friends came to back him up. As his friends came up behind him he seemed to regain some of his former confidence and some semblance of the cocky grin he had before came back to his face.

Syaoron however was not fazed at all by the two new faces to enter the scene. 'I don't have time for this, I have to make sure that Sakura is okay, there's no time to play with these idiots.'

With a flick of his wrist four men appeared out of no where. Two were behind Syaoron and Sakura and the other two were behind nelson and his friends. The four men were dressed in black micro fiber jackets over black button down shirts over black t-shirts, with black micro fiber slacks and black shoes. They all had jet-black hair and two of them had brown highlights. They all had intimidating black eyes and a stoic determined look and posture.

"Escort these gentlemen away form here," Syaoron ordered with an edge to his voice. The four men immediately obeyed him and ushered the three teens to a different part of the club with no semblance courtesy. 

As soon as they were out of range Syaoron turned to Sakura to see if she was okay. His eyes, features and posture soften visibly as he turned a concerned gaze on Sakura. 

"Are you all right?" asked Syaoron with clear concern in his voice. "I am so sorry that I left you alone in a place like this, I should have thought of it. I should never have left you alone. I am so stupid! I am so sorry. Did that guy do anything to you? If he did anything to you I'll make sure he lives to regret it. I am so sorry I left you alone like that. I am so… "

Sakura finally stopped Syaoron's words by placing her hand over his mouth. "Shh, I'm all right, stop babbling."

Syaoron's emotions, like his words, went from concern, to guilt, to self-recrimination, back to guilt, to anger and finally back to guilt again. He couldn't look in her eyes afraid of seeing disdain or. 

Sakura lifted his chin up and forced him to look into her eyes. And he was surprised that he didn't see any of what he feared he would see all he saw were two emerald orbs that held nothing but love for him. Finally he allowed himself to smile a little. He calmed down and sat down in the booth behind Sakura. She turned around and nestled herself in his arms, perfectly content to be back in the arms which offered her so much comfort and strength. 

"Who were those guys, the ones in black I mean?" inquired Sakura as she closed her eyes to soak in all the warmth that being in Syaoron's arms afforded her. 

"Oh, those guys? They're clan security," whispered Syaoron into Sakura's ears as he too closed his eyes to enjoy her presence. "They're basically my bodyguards. They follow me almost everywhere, but they're good at staying hidden."

"Oh," was Sakura's simple reply to Syaoron's explanation. 

They were content just enjoying each other's presence for a while; it was as if they were the only ones in the world. 

"Kawaii!" yelled Ming as she and Jia-luo came back from dancing.

Her piercing voice had startled the couple from their reverie. Sakura had an impish look at being caught in such an intimate moment, while Syaoron simply looked annoyed at having been brought back to the real world whereas he wanted to simply be with Sakura and not have to share her with the world.

Their friends had come back from dancing and settled down to enjoy their drinks. Each person seemed to have a thin sheen of sweat on his/her forehead. They looked a little out of breath but happy and invigorated. 

Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the intimate arrangement of the pair of card captors and started a discussion on what kinds of music they like. The conversation continued on for a few hours until finally one of them noticed that it was almost two in the morning and the club had finally started to close down. After a while the couples decided to call it a night. And they along with the remaining clubbers finally emptied into the parking lot.

On the way out Syaoron looked over to the band and nodded to them, this sent a silent message for the group to carry out his plan.

Ming, Jia-luo and the other couples said their goodbyes got in their cars and drove off on their way back to the campus, prepared to spend the rest of the night and most of the next morning in bed.

Sakura stifled a yawn and slid into the open door of the passenger side of the Jeep. Syaoron closed her door, went around the front of the car and got in the driver's side. He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. They headed off in the same direction as the others but didn't quite reach the campus. Syaoron instead drove to the park.

"Syaoron? Why are we here?" asked a tired Sakura.

"I have something to show you," replied Syaoron with a happy glint in his eyes.

After they had gotten out of the car he told her to close her eyes. Once her was sure that her eyes were closed he carefully led her to a clearing where everything had been set up. He stopped in the middle of the clearing, turned to the band and nodded his head.

Sakura opened her eyes as the soft melody and sweet lyrics reached her ears. What she saw around her took her breath away. 

The clearing they were in was completely devoid of snow. It was as if spring was in full bloom only here. The grass was luscious as soft underfoot. The air was filled with the scent of roses, cherry blossoms, daisies and lilies. The moon cast a silvery glow over it all making it take on an almost ethereal glow. 

As Sakura took all of this in Syaoron took her hand and turned her to face him. The look of pure joy was more than any reward he could ever receive. He gently took off his overcoat and her down coat. As he did this Sakura prepared herself to feel the stinging cold of old man winter. She was surprised however when she felt a warm breeze brush over her. 

Syaoron seemed to reach into the air and plucked out a cherry blossom and placed it in her hair. Then he took her hand and bowed before her. "May I have the honor of this dance?" he said gallantly as if copying what Eriol did for Tomoyo. 

Sakura giggled and said "Yes you may."

He pulled her to him and settled his hands on her slender waist while her fingers were interlaced at the nape of his neck. For a time they just stared into each other's eyes. 

Eventually Sakura laid her head down on Syaoron's shoulder and closed her eyes. She just let Syaoron's embrace comfort and worm her. She felt a sense of complete elation at being in his arms. This wasn't some expensive jewelry or money it was the simple act of love and devotion and it was this kind of thing and the fact that he could think of them that took her breath away and that made her love him even more.

Syaoron was content just to have her in his arms. He didn't care for anything other than making Sakura happy. He couldn't care less if he was the leader of his clan or any of the titles given to him. All he cared about was being in this moment with Sakura and loving every second of it. 

They seemed to dance for hours until Sakura was too tired to stay awake and fell asleep in Syaoron's arms. 

He wrapped her up in her coat and put on his own overcoat. He sent the musicians and his men home. He carried Sakura to his car and gingerly placed her in her seat. He got in and drove back to their dorm. 

By now he suspected that Ming should have already been asleep, if not then he was going to have a very long talk with her and Jia-luo later on, so he took Sakura back to his dorm room where they had spent the previous night holding each other. 

He brought Sakura back to a sufficient level of consciousness so that she could change for bed. 

He did the same and slipped into his Pj's. After Sakura finished changing she slipped into bed and waited for Syaoron to join her. She felt the cool air on her back but soon the comforting warmth of her Xiao Lang replaced it. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered sweet nothings into her ear while occasionally giving her butterfly kisses until she was again in dreamland. 

"Don't ever leave me," whispered Sakura from her dreams.

He held her tighter and whispered back, "I'll never leave you, my love."

And with that statement of absolute love and devotion Syaoron joined his Ying Fa in the realm of dreams.

To be continued…

hhhhh


	11. Valentines

_Time Frame:__ Valentines Day 8 A.M._

hhhhh

The ever present wind chime rings in the silence of the dorm room, but this time its not the chime that wakes the lone occupant of the bed, it is the sound of birds chirping just outside the window. These are the first birds to come back in expectation of the new spring season. 

The figure stirs and reaches out slender fingers to try and touch the body that should be there as well. When the fingers turn up nothing but empty space the figure slowly opens a pair of sleep fogged eyes. 

"Syaoron?" Sakura asks the emptiness of the room.

She looked around for any signs of her love, and finds nothing except for an orderly dorm room. She starts to get out of bed and feels something soft next to her hand. She looks down on the bed and finds a cherry blossom next to her hand. Attached to the flower is a folded note. She picks up the note and reads it.

To My Princess,

Happy Valentines Day, a beautifully soft cherry blossom for my beautiful, soft, caring, and loving cherry blossom.

From,

Your Knight in Shining Armor

She smiled as she read the note. 'He can be so romantic when he wants to be,' she thought as she thought back to a time when this was a side of him that she never knew he possessed. The things he did were never very extravagant but they were sweet and it was the simple fact that he could think up of these things for her that made her love him all the more.

Sakura got up and went to get ready for the classes she had today. 

She picked her pink silk robe from the back of his desk chair and put it on. Then she went over to the closet and pulled out a change of clothes. She had been staying here so much in the last few weeks that they were practically living together. 

Sakura grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. She could get the showers pretty much to herself since there were so few people living on this floor. And with it being only 8, most of the other coeds were still asleep. The few who were not in bed had already left for an early class.

As the warm water began to wash over her body she was reminded of how it felt to be in his arms. It didn't matter how cold it was, as soon as he had his arms around her she could feel the warmth of his body spread over and through her just like the stream of water pelting her skin. 

After she had finished with the shower, dried off and gotten dressed she saw that it was almost 8:20. This gave her 25 minutes to get to the first of her two classes for the day. It would take her 10 minutes to get there and that gave her 15 minutes for breakfast.

She left Syaoron's dorm room and went to the floor's kitchen. There on the table was breakfast. She walked up to the table and eyed the food. Then she noticed that there was another folded note next to the warm milk. She sat down and picked up the note. Inside she read a second note from Syaoron.

To My Ying Fa,

Hey Sleepyhead, did you have a good shower?

The food is naturally for you, so enjoy.

From,

Xiao Lang

P.S. Don't be late for class.

Sakura just smiled at Syaoron's thoughtfulness. 'How sweet,' thought Sakura as she took a sip of the warm milk, honey milk. 

And it was just right.

The food was absolutely delightful. It helped warm her up to face the February winds. As she stepped out of the front door of her dorm building she could feel the excitement of the dance tonight all throughout the air. She could see couple strolling along the paths holding hands. It reminded her of how much she wished that Syaoron were here by her side. 'Well, he's bound to pop up somewhere,' reasoned Sakura as she walked towards her literature class.

As she walked towards the English building she didn't notice a pair of glaring onyx eyes gazing at her from across the quad.

'Soon you'll be mine, my cherry blossom.'

hhhhh

As she sat in literature class listening to Professor Tang's lecture about some book they'd been reading her mind began to wander off to thoughts of what Syaoron had planned for the rest of the day. She knew that if that morning were any indication then she would not be disappointed.

"Ms. Kinomoto are you with us?" asked Professor Tang waking Sakura from her daydream.

"Sorry professor," Sakura apologized sheepishly. She just realized that Professor Tang had asked her a question.

"Well see to it that it does not happen again," said the professor in an exasperated manner. "Seeing as how none of you seem to be paying any attention to what I am saying, let's move on to something new. Now, who can tell me anything about the story of 'Leung Shan Buo Yu Zhu Ying Tai'?"

A few of the students raised their hands, but most didn't know what the professor had said. 

The professor had another exasperated look on his face. "Well, of those who do know what I'm talking about, do any of you know what how the story goes?"

Then the few hands that were up went down.

"Then I'll tell you," said the professor. "The story takes place during the Han Dynasty, during that time there was a powerful lord who had a daughter. Now the traditional daughter was suppose to be completely obedient and strive to male a good wife for her future husband. However, this girl was anything but traditional…"

Professor Tang proceeded to tell the entire tale of the star-crossed lovers who would rather die than be apart. He told the attentive students of how in the end Leung Shan Buo died trying save his love by letting her go, of how she died to finally be with him in place where no one could stop them from loving each other. And finally of how they were reincarnated into butterflies. 

"…and thus ends the tale of the Butterfly Lovers, whose love broke even the wall of death that separated them. So what did you think of the story?" asked Professor Tang to a class that was hanging on his every word. They didn't seem to recognize that he had finished the story. As the thought that love was so powerful that even death could not subdue it made some of the girls sniffle and the guys have more faith in the power of love. The couples in the lecture hall found the hands of their partners and held on for dear life as if fearing that they would disappear into thin air.

Sakura felt saddened that she could not share this moment with the one man who meant more to her than the world, but she knew in her heart that their love was the just like the love of the Butterfly Lovers. A love that could never be silenced no matter what. 

The ringing of the bell interrupted her thoughts and told her that it was the end of class. She looked down to pack up her books and leave, but something was in the middle of her desk. It was a pink origami butterfly. She picked it up and she could sense the green aura of her little wolf on it. The butterfly was not made of paper. Instead it was made from a thick, yet soft, cloth-like material. It had the faintest hint of Syaoron's scent mixed in with what smelled like cherry blossoms. It was attached to a safety pin that had a note on it. 

To My Zhu Ying Tai,

I hope you liked the story. 

It was specially arranged for you. 

I hope you like the butterfly; I'm a little out of practice.

I hope that you will wear it.

From,

Your Leung Shan Buo

Sakura couldn't help but smile at this. Just when she was sad that he wasn't here to share to story with her, it turns out that he was the one who arranged for her to hear it. 

She looked up to see a smiling Professor Tang staring at her. She smiled back and mouthed a silent 'thank you', to which he responded with an equally silently mouthed 'your welcome'.

Sakura happily pinned the butterfly to her chest and walked out of class with a new skip in her step. 

hhhhh

As she stepped into her computer graphics class the sight of valentine hearts all over the room greeted her. Normally the sight of so many pink hearts would make any person sick, but not her and not today. 

She just had the most romantic lunch ever. 

bFlashbackd

Syaoron had not been at the dorm when she came in but there was a fresh meal on the kitchen table. It was set for two.

Suddenly there was a gentle tap on her left shoulder. She turned in that direction hoping to see him but found nothing. So she turned back to find a hand holding a single red rose in front of her face. She looked towards the origin of the arms and saw a smiling Syaoron. 

She jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close as he asked her how her morning was. She told him how much she enjoyed his notes and the love story Professor Tang told in her lit. class. 

They ate lunch in a comfortable silence, feeling content with the simple act of sharing lunch. 

After they finished lunch they laid lazily on the couch. Sakura had her back to Syaoron and he had his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close. And slowly they drifted off to the realm of dreams sharing each other's warmth. 

bEnd Flashbackd

It surprised her how much was said between the two of them even in silence. They didn't need to talk to have the other know their love just by being near one another was enough.

These thoughts passed through her mind as she listened half-heartedly to Professor Xia's lecture. She barely noticed Professor Xia tell the class to begin work on their projects. Sakura came out of her reverie when she heard the familiar tune that signaled the start-up of Windows. She turned to her computer and opened up the folder labeled 'Graphx'. She opened her project file and began to work on it. She didn't notice the generic heart shaped valentine that was slipped next to her mouse-pad. 

She finally noticed the store brought card when she reached for her mouse. 'Hmm… wonder whom this could be from,' she thought as she picked it up. 

Hey Beautiful,

Wonna go to tonight's dance with me?

Xin

'Yeah right,' she thought and threw it away without another thought. 

She went back to work on her project and didn't really notice the blinking symbol on her taskbar. "Now what is it?" she asked herself as she opened the page. 

Amazed was a phrase that wouldn't suffice in describing her reaction to what she saw. It was a PhotoShop file. It showed the image of a heart. It wasn't like the corny store brought valentine that she had gotten from Xin. It was exquisitely designed. The amount of detail was exceptional. Each layer had a slight color variation in the pigmentation. When you looked at it from afar it seemed as if the different shades of pale pink mix together to the point where you couldn't discern them, but upon closer inspection you could see the distinct separations of the different pinks. The sides looked like the embroidery done on the most exquisite silk shawls. And the rendering made it look all the more realistic, it gave it a 3-dimensional feel.

In the center in beautifully written script letters was written the message:

_ _

# This is a promise…

_A promise that I make with every fiber of my being,_

_I pledge to you my eternal love, my heart, my soul, and everything I was, am and ever will be._

_I love you my Cherry Blossom._

Tears of pure love were on the verge of release. Just when she thought that he couldn't be any more perfect, he goes and proves her wrong. 'I really don't deserve this,' thought Sakura as she stared at the screen and pictured Syaoron's loving smile, the one that he would only give her, and it just made her feel as if she was the luckiest woman alive. 

hhhhh

'How dare she throw my gift away,' fumed Xin as he sat two rows back and one seat to the right of Sakura. 'And why is she so happy just to see a pink heart on her computer screen?'

'No matter, if I can't have her then no one will.'

hhhhh

Sakura was on cloud nine as she walked back to her dorm. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice Syaoron's aura as he came up from behind. 

She was brought out of her reverie by warm hands wrapping around her. She wasn't really surprised at who it was, she leaned back into his arms without giving it a second thought. With her eyes closed she breathed in his scent. It had such a calming effect on her. 

"Did you like it?" whispered Syaoron into her ear as he held her close and planted soft kisses on her neck and ear. 

"Yup," was her simple answer.

"Good, but there's more."

Sakura opened her eyes and turned in his arms so that she could see those fierce amber eyes that made her knees weak. "There is nothing more could you give me," asked Sakura. 

"There will always be something for me to give you."

They just stood there for a while simply staring into each other's eyes. Finally they broke eye contact and simply held each other.

Eventually they separated and started to walk towards their dorm, hand in hand.

He told her to close her eyes right after they closed the door to his dorm room.

"No peeking," teased Syaoron.

"Oh all right," replied a giddy Sakura while she asked herself, 'What else could he give me?'

"Okay open your eyes," said Syaoron as he stood in front of her.

He was holding a pink velvet box with the word 'Sakura' inscribed on the lid in pearly white letters.

"Open it," he said softly when she didn't move after a few minutes. 

She gasped as she saw that inside was a thin platinum chain going through a beautiful gold ring. It had a small pink diamond in the center surrounded by six stunning emeralds. 

She looked up at her soul mate with tears in her eyes to see an expression of pure love. She leapt into his arms with a cry of pure joy. His arms went around her instantly, holding her close.

"Do you like it?" asked a nervous Syaoron.

"Yes," came the muffled reply from his chest.

"Here let me put it on."

He turned her around and stepped back, his hands unclasped the chain and draped it across her neck. He closed the chain behind her neck and placed tender kisses there as he circled his hands around her. "Aishiteru," he whispered as he held her close.

"Aishiteru, my little wolf."

hhhhh

_Author's Note:__ Sorry about the lack of a romantic poem, but I'm not very poetic._


	12. The Dance I

_Time Frame:__ Valentines Day 7:30 P.M._

_ _

hhhhh

The pair of card captors was making their way across campus grounds to the gym where the dance was suppose to take place. They walked with a leisurely pace. He had his arm draped over her shoulder and she had her arm holding him close at the waist with her head in the curve of his neck. They walked in a silence that wasn't really silent. They didn't need any words to convey their love. 

As they drew near the gym they could see their friends already waiting for them. After they exchange greetings they head inside the gym where the dance and Bachelor and Bachelorette auctions were to take place. Already hundreds had gathered inside the large gym and were getting ready to party the night away. 

The auctions were supposed to take place first. The girls were up first and then the guys. And the rules were that the ones who were to be auctioned off could not bid. This was one assurance that the two of them would not be placed in a bad situation if either Xin or Liz actually bid and won against them, both twins were to be auctioned off. But there were contingency arrangements just incase something went wrong. 

From the guys in their group only Syaoron and Jia-luo were to be auctioned off and from the girls only Yuan and Sakura were to be up for grabs. Qiou was to be one of the auctioneers. And Ming was taking pictures for the university newspaper. Shan had opted to not be auctioned off so that he could make sure that no one could take his girl.

Qiou came and took Yuan and Sakura backstage to have them prepped to go on. Soon the auction was to begin.

"Happy Valentines Day everyone!" shouted Qiou through the Mic on the podium. "Now I hope the fellas brought their money cuz the Bachelorette auction is about toe begin."

Shouts and wolf calls could be heard from throughout the crowd. 

"Calm down guys," told Qiou to the crowd of hormone driven college males. "Now lets begin, first up is… "

The girls all got very eager bids from the excited guys and the auction was turning out to be a great success. While the bids were not as high as some had hoped, it was slowly getting higher and higher with each successive girl. So by the time it reached the last two girls the bids were in the hundreds of dollars. 

"Next up is Ms. Chen Yuan. She is a freshman cheerleader, she loves the color red," said Qiou as Yuan walked to the center of the stage. "Now what are my bids for Ms. Chen?"

"90!"

"100!"

"125!"

"150!"

"160!"

The numbers just got higher and higher, until…

"300!"

Gasps of surprise could be heard as everyone turned to see the person who had bid so much money. It was Max Sou and he had a smug look on his face. He had thought that he had won until another voice echoed through the gym. 

"400!"

Everyone turned to the new voice and found it to be Shan. He had a determined look in his eyes that told everyone that he would not allow anyone to take his girl. 

"450!" was the response from Max.

"500!" countered Shan.

Now Max was no longer so sure of himself. He didn't have the money and he knew it. And so he was forced to give up. 

"Going once!"

"Going twice!"

"Sold! To Mr. Leung Shan for the amount of 500 dollars!" concluded Qiou.

Yuan who had been on the verge of hysteria at the thought of being forced to be Max's date gave a joyous cry and jumped into Shan's arms as he came forward to get her. He held her tightly and comforted her.

"Now for our last Bachelorette. Ms. Kinomoto Sakura!" as soon as Qiou said this the guys went wild and started shouting catcalls and whistles. Syaoron simply smiled as he watched his angel walk out onto the stage with a grace that only she possessed. 

Then suddenly it hit me. Qiou had said that Sakura was the last to be up for bids, if she was the last then where was Liz. He was sure that he hadn't seen her being auctioned off. 'This is not good,' he thought. 'Time for some insurance.' He looked around the gym for the two faces that were his countermeasures in case the Ran twins did something like this. It could be a guarantee that if Liz found a way of getting out of the auction then Xin would also have been able to. He finally spotted the two faces near the back. He caught their eyes and gave a slight nod of his head. The signal had been sent and they knew what to do.

The bidding for Sakura had been intense and the bids had gone as high as 500 dollars until Xin spoke up.

"1,000!"

Once again silence fell over the crowd as they turned to the basketball captain. 

"Hey! You can't bid when you are in the auction yourself!" exclaimed a surprised and very angry Qiou. Obviously she didn't know about any of this either.

"That is true," conceded Xin. "However, I am no longer in the auction."

"How can that be?" demanded a very angry Qiou.

"I had a change of heart earlier in the day."

"…" Qiou was speechless, but she was clearly pissed about the whole situation. It put her in an uncomfortable position. On the one hand she didn't want to allow his bid to stand and then for him to take one of her friend's girlfriend away, but on the other hand she didn't have any choice unless someone bid against him.

"1,100," said a tall man in the back of the crowd. The man wore a simple black leather jacket with a dark burgundy shirt and white undershirt.

"1,200!" shouted a very annoyed and surprised Xin. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be able to out bid him except for Syaoron and since Syaoron was unable to bid that left an opening for him, or so he thought.

"1,300," replied the dark haired man calmly.

"1,400!" Xin was starting to get nervous.

Through all of this Sakura had butterflies doing spins in her stomach. She looked for the only person who made her feels safe, loved, and warm. As emerald eyes fell on amber ones she could feel safe again. With the look of pure love in his eyes she no longer felt scared or nervous. 'What does he have up his sleeves?' pondered Sakura as she kept her gaze fixed on her guardian little wolf.

"1,500," said the mysterious man.

"…" Xin was at a loss for words. He had simply run out of money. 

"Going once!"

"Going twice!"

"Sold to the man in the black leather jacket for 1,500 dollars."

Murmurs of surprise could be heard all over the gym as he came forward to escort her down from the stage. He was courteous but not flirtatious. He had a small smile on his face and a look in his eyes as if to say that it was going to be all right.

When she looked to where her friends were standing she saw curious looks on most of their faces. The only ones without surprise written on their faces were Syaoron, Syaohu and Ming. The latter two seemed to have an amused look on their face. 

'Huh?' wondered Sakura as she walked away. 'What's going on here?'

hhhhh

The Bachelor auction was just as garnered a bit more money than the other auction had. 

Jia-luo had just been sold to Ming for 400 dollars and now it was Syaoron's turn.

The bids quickly escalated into the high hundreds, and then into the thousands. This time Liz was not the only one who had a lot of money to spend. Soon the bids had passed 1,000. 

"1,300!" the bid from Liz had finally shut the others up. She got a confident smile on her face as if to say that she had won.

"1,400," replied the voice of another stranger.

Everyone whipped around to see whom it was. The voice came from a female around 20 with shoulder length black hair pulled back. She was wearing a simple black dress. 

A vein seemed to pop out on Liz's forehead and she was visibly steaming with anger. 'First some asshole snatches Sakura from my brother and now some bitch shows up trying to take Syaoron!' fumed Liz. 'I don't think so."

"1,600!"

"1,700."

It continued like this until it got to the point where the students thought that they were crazy. 

Liz finally ran out of money and she had no choice but to allow Syaoron to go to the mystery woman. 

hhhhh


	13. The Dance II

_Time Frame:__ 9 P.M., at the dance._

_Author's Note:__ I noticed that someone mentioned in their review that the currency used should be yen and not dollars. _

_Normally that would be correct if the story was taking place in Japan. However, the story is not taking place in Japan._

_The setting for the story is Hong Kong, so when I say dollars, I mean Hong Kong Dollars._

_Apologies:__ I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter but I've recently been suffering major writer's block._

_I'll try not to take so long with the next chapter._

_ _

hhhhh

Sakura stood next to the unknown gentleman who had managed to outbid Xin. There was something familiar about him. The aura he gave off just seemed to be something familiar to her. It brought up a memory that was so close to her consciousness, and yet it was just beyond reach. 

She didn't want to be rude but she just had to find out where Syaoron was. She had been scanning the room ever since the dance started but just couldn't see him. She could feel him near her even though she couldn't see him. There were simply too many people and the sheer number of people who were in the room was diffusing his aura.

Suddenly arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back and a wave of green energy diffused through Sakura's pink aura.

"Hoe!" Sakura exclaimed as she fell comfortably into the arms of her love.

"So, did you miss me?" whispered Syaoron.

"Of course," she replied. "Where were you?"

"Around," said Syaoron as he nibbled her ear lobe. 

This caused Sakura to giggle, but she sobered up when she realized the unknown man was staring at them. Sakura elbowed Syaoron to make him to get him to stop.

They looked up to see the man grinning at the pair.

"What's so funny Chang?" asked Syaoron as a smile lit up his face.

"Nothing sir," replied the gentleman referred to as Chang. "Just the most adorable pair of lovebirds ever."

Syaoron would have pummeled anyone who would've said anything like that a few weeks ago, but now it was different. "Why thank you," was all he said as he dismissed Chang with curt nod.

"Who was that?" asked Sakura after Chang had left.

"He's one of my 'bodyguards'," answered Syaoron.

"Oh," was all she said as realization dawned upon her that the reason her seemed familiar was probably because Chang was one of the men who removed the guys from the club the other night.

After a few minutes of staying contently in Syaoron's arms she asked. "So who was the girl? Another of your people?"

"No."

"Then who was she?" asked Sakura as she turned to face him.

"She's one of Ming's people," he said as she placed her head on his chest.

"Oh."

For the next half-hour they remained perfectly happy just being in each other's arms. It was an amicable silence.

They would have stayed that way if it weren't for the sudden exclamation of "Kawaii!" from somewhere behind them. They turned around to see all their friends looking at them with grins. 

"So are you two going to dance or what?" asked Ming as she held onto Jia-luo's hand.

"Yeah! C'mon lets dance!" shouted Qiou as she dragged Syaohu onto the dance floor.

Sakura seemed to be in agreement with the rest of her girlfriends as they dragged their reluctant boyfriends onto the dance floor. A techno dance mix was being blasted though the speakers as the group of friends got into the mix. Everyone got into the spirit fairly quickly and soon they were dancing with such energy that soon a thin sheen of sweat could be visible on each of their foreheads.

Eventually the music died down to a slow song and the couples paired off and started to slow dance to the steady rhythm and soft melody.

Syaoron and Sakura held each other close, he had his arms around her waist and she had her arms around his neck. They leaned in with their foreheads touching and simply looked into each other's eyes, Sakura into pools of amber and Syaoron into glittering emerald jewels.

They stayed like that until long after the music died down. They were the last couple left on the dance floor still swaying to music that only they could hear. They didn't care that they were alone or that everyone was staring at them. The only thing that mattered was that they were together.

hhhhh

Across the gym two sets of glaring onyx eyes were glaring daggers at the couple. 

hhhhh

Around 1 A.M. the dance began to wind down. Slowly the gym began to thin out as the couples left. Eventually the magical couple and their friends headed for their respective dorms. 

Ming went on ahead with Jia-luo at her side while Sakura and Syaoron lagged behind. The others had already bid farewells and had headed off it the directions of their homes.

The cherry blossom and her little wolf went at a more leisurely pace along the paths that crisscrossed the quads and that led to their dorm.

The soft glow of the street lamps cast a dim light on the road and helped to create a comfortable ambiance. 

They walked in companionable silence as they walked home in the arms of the one they love. 

"Syaoron?" asked Sakura as she broke the silence.

"Yes?" 

"Did you plan for Chang and that girl to bid on us?" inquired a curious Sakura.

"Yes," replied Syaoron. "I didn't know that Xin and Liz would be able to drop out at the last minute, but I did think that they were going to try something. So Chang and his female counterpart were my countermeasures just in case something did happen."

"Well I'm glad they were there," said Sakura as she drew Syaoron even closer.

"Thanks."

They returned to the same silence as before until Syaoron asked, "Sakura?"

"Yes Syaoron?"

"There's something I realized tonight as I watched Xin bid on you."

"Oh?And just what did you realize?"

"I felt the apprehension a person feels when the one they love is on the brink of possibly being taken away," he said.

Sakura opened her mouth to reassure Syaoron that his fears were misplaced and that she could never let herself be taken away, but he put a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I also had the realization that if you were ever taken away from me then I would surely die," said Syaoron as he looked into the emerald gems that reflected every bit of love he had. "I realized that I can't live without you, I wont live without you.

"You are my other half Sakura, you are a part of me that I need as badly as the air we breathe, you are my soul mate Sakura and you complete me, my Ying Fa."

By now Sakura was on the brink of tears. She knew that he loved her, but hearing him say these things made her love him even more. Her tears still overflowed and streaked down her cheeks no matter how hard he tried to hold them in. 

Syaoron reached up and brushed away her tears with fingers as gentle as feathers.

"Sakura do you know why I gave that ring to you?" asked Syaoron as he pointed to the gold ring on the thin chain around her slender neck.

"No," answered Sakura as she looked down at it.

"It's a promise ring," said Syaoron. "It was a promise that one day I would ask you to be my wife."

"Was?" asked a confused Sakura.

"Yes," replied Syaoron. "Was. I don't want to wait anymore."

To be continued…

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_Author's Notes:__ Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I wanted you guys to read the Author's Notes. I plan on writing an original fantasy story._

_It would naturally have magic, warriors, knights, kings, queens, and princesses in distress and of course plenty of romance and jealous rivals, it just wont be too sappy. _

_If anyone happens to be interest in reading it I would appreciate it if you would tell me so that way I can know that at least some people would like to read it._

_Thank you for taking the time to read this section._


	14. Proposal

_Author's Notes:__ Sorry if this chapter is short._

_Time Frame:__ Just after the last line from chapter 13._

_ _

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With that he got down on one knee and said, "Sakura, you are the one thing in my life that has always been a source of light for me. You were able to break through the walls that I had built for myself and allowed me to truly be myself. I can do anything as long as you are with me. I never want to live without you. You are my other half. You are my soul mate. So will you please do me the honor of making me the happiest man of all time and be my wife?"

For a few moments all that Sakura was able to do was stare at the one man she loved above all else, while he patiently stayed there, on the ground, on one knee, holding the most beautifully carved engagement ring ever.

The ring held a single diamond in the middle with six petals of pink gemstones around it and two emerald leaves on either side. The stones were set in a platinum band.

With a speechless expression she picked up the ring and held it gingerly in her shaking fingers. As she stared at the ring she noticed something on the inside of the band. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was an inscription which read:

With This Ring I Commit My Heart and Soul to You, My Beautiful Ying Fa.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she stared at it. This was beyond anything she had ever dreamed of. He was actually proposing to her. And the words he said to her were the words that she never had the courage to say herself.

She opened her mouth but no sounds came out. She just couldn't seem to find her voice at the most important time of her life. She was so nervous that she thought she might faint. Yet, the moment she looked into his eyes, she could feel his strength coursing through her.

"Yes," was the response she managed to squeak out, as she trembled.

Syaoron had only just barley heard the response, so it took him a few moments to process the information. 

Slowly but surely his expression turned from a look of fright at the prospect of being rejected into one of pure joy as he realized her answer. 

He sprang up and enveloped her in an embrace that held all his love. He held her as close as he dared without hurting her. He kissed her passionately and with such force that it took her breath away. He planted kisses all over her face and neck. He whispered 'I love you' and other expressions of love as he kissed his way all over her face.

After a while they just stood there in each other's arms. They had loosened their grip and were now cuddling into each other. She had her arms over his neck and his arms were around her waist. Her head was pillowed against his chest and his head rested on top of hers.

"Syaoron?" said Sakura finally.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too my Ying Fa."

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'How dare he! She belongs to me!' thought Xin as he looked upon the loving couple with a cold stare. 'I'll make him pay. If I can't have her, then no one will!'

Xin slowly made his way out of the trees and started to head towards the loving couple, with the full intention of hurting them. But he didn't get more than a few feet, when he was suddenly struck on the back of the head. The blow had so much force that it sent him into instant unconsciousness. Then the shadowed figure caught the unconscious basketball player and silently took him away.

The figure signaled for another to take his place as he took Xin away. 

Xin was eventually dumped on the couch of the common room of his floor of his dorm building. 

With a final disdained look at the college student, the figure left the teen to sleep off his injury. 

hhhhh

A slight shiver went through Sakura's body as she held onto her Xiao Lang.

"C'mon, its getting cold," said Syaoron as he held his fiancé closer to keep her warm. "We better head home."

With a nod of her head they headed off towards their "home."

They walked along the paths that crisscrossed the quad at a leisurely pace. 

Sakura had her arms around Syaoron's waist and he had one of his arms draped over her shoulder. His other hand was holding one of hers. Her head was pillowed in the crook of his neck, while his head leaned a bit on hers. 

The outside temperature had already reached near freezing temperatures, but they were warm as long as they were in each other's arms. Nothing could ever separate them again. Nothing. 

They got home around 2 o'clock in the morning and Sakura was half-asleep as they got into the elevator. She was leaning heavily on him now and seemed as if she could fall asleep at any moment. She fought to stay awake, but it was a battle that she was quickly losing. 

Syaoron smiled down at his angel and pulled her up so that she rested in his arms. She gave some mumbled protest, but they died as he carried her out of the elevator, down the hallway and into his dorm room. He walked over to the bed and laid her down on it and took off her shoes. 

Syaoron turned and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. As he turned around, a sight that could warm the coldest hearts was there to greet him. 

His cherry blossom was just lying there on the bed. The soft moonlight faintly illuminated her face and gave off a glow. She looked like the angel she was. She had a faint smile adorning her lips, which made the sight even more visionary. 

Syaoron got into bed behind her and pulled the covers over them as he slid his arms around her waist. He slowly inhaled her scent as he breathed in her hair. The scent was intoxicating. Her scent, her aura, both was more addictive than anything was, he could never get enough of either one. 

"I must have been really good in my previous life if fate deemed fit to pair us up," whispered Syaoron as he basked in their closeness. "Please don't ever leave me Sakura," he begged as he started to drift off into the realm of dreams.

The last conscious thought on Syaoron's mind was of a picture. It was their wedding photo. The scene was perfect, the day was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, gentle winds blowing up Sakura petals from the ground and off the trees. He had his arms around her waist and she was leaning back against him. They were surrounded by all their friends and family. It was to be the first day of the rest of their lives together, and it was the happiest day of their lives. 

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_Question:__ Should I write more? Review and tell me._


	15. Dream or Reality I

_Time Frame:__ During the night._

_ _

hhhhh

_Black._

_ _

_That's the only way to describe it, black._

_ _

_Everything was pitch black. There wasn't a single spec of light. There was no gray or any lighter shade. It was just simply black._

_ _

_The emptiness wasn't just an absence of color or light. It was an absence of everything. There was no breeze, no noise, and no essences of any kind. _

_ _

_That was how Syaoron was able to tell that it wasn't real. Because if it was real, then he would have felt something, but he sensed nothing. He couldn't even sense the most basic of life essences. It was as if everything, just vanished. _

_ _

_'Where am I?' thought Syaoron silently. _

_ _

_Then out of nowhere, a sound finally came to his ears. It was very faint at first. He could barely make it out, but then as it got closer, he could distinctly make out the sounds of running feet. _

_ _

_The sound seemed to be headed towards him. And it just got louder._

_ _

_Then a second set began. _

_ _

_They were distinguishable because they were very different. One was a light clicking sound. Like the sound of a female running. The second however, was more of a deep clomping, definitely the sounds of a male._

_ _

_Syaoron could see a faint outline of a person as they drew near. At first it was just a vertical line. It was a soft pastel hue, with a hazy area around it. Then a darker haze could be seen as the second figure came up behind the first. The second person was definitely taller than the first. And the aura around him was very dark._

_ _

_He could finally make out some vague details as the pair came closer. The shoulder length auburn locks were whipped behind the girl as she ran. She seemed to be running away from her pursuer rather than towards anything. _

_ _

_They got closer and Syaoron could see more details. Her piercing emerald eyes were the most prominent features on her face. Syaoron was sure that those eyes could hold all the beauty of the universe if given the chance, but all they held at the moment was fear. The tears running down her face seemed to shine like a trail of tiny diamonds. _

_ _

_The fear she gave off was almost tangible. It came out in waves and crashed against him like surf against the cliffs. _

_ _

_What he saw next struck him like a dagger to the heart._

_ _

_He knew the girl. More than that he loved the girl. The girl was Sakura._

_ _

_Then as if seeing him for the first time, she looked him straight in the eyes and cried his name. "Syaoron!"_

_ _

_The look of absolute terror in her eyes took him back a few steps. _

_ _

_He tried to move but he seemed to be stuck to the ground. All he could do was reach out with his hands. _

_ _

_She was soon close enough to grasp and that's just what he did. He grabbed her hands in his and tried with all his strength to pull her to him. But no matter how hard he pulled in one direction, there was always something pulling her in the opposite one. _

_ _

_The darkness started to envelop her and slowly she was being torn from his grasp. No matter how hard her tried, he just couldn't hold on. _

_ _

_They couple held on to each other for all they were worth, but it just wasn't enough. _

_ _

_And just before their hands broke contact, he yelled, "Sakura!"_

Syaoron's eyes snapped open as he bolted upright in bed. He was covered in a cold sweat as he looked around him to get his bearings.

He was in bed and he was with her. He was with his Ying Fa.

A small smile crept on to his face as he lay back down on the bed. 'It was just a dream,' he thought to himself as he circled his arms around her waist.

He pulled her closer to him and he never wanted to let go. He just held her against his body. Eventually she snuggled closer to him. 

Soon the adrenaline rush he got from the dream faded and he slowly inched back into dreamland. 

He didn't want to go to sleep just yet. He wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer, but the sweet scent of Sakura's hair wasn't helping him much. Eventually he relented in his fight to stay awake and let the steady breathing of his cherry blossom lull him to sleep.

_ _

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_ _

_Author's Note:__ So you like the cliffhanger?_

_Sorry if the chapter is too short but I was really too depressed to write anymore._


	16. Dream or Reality II

_Time Frame:__ The following morning._

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The scent was unmistakable, even to the nose of a sleeper. It was the mouthwatering aroma of food, breakfast.

The first sense to come alive for Syaoron as he came out of his dreamless sleep was the sweet scent of maple syrup. His ears perked up to the sound of bacons and eggs frying on the stove. 

'Mmm, smells good,' thought Syaoron as he slowly crawled back to full consciousness. 

Something didn't feel right, there was something missing and as he reached out with his hands he realized what was missing. Sakura wasn't next to him.

'What?' wondered Syaoron as he got out of bed and padded out the door of his room and towards the common area. The smells and sounds of breakfast became more intense as he drew nearer the kitchen area. 

He could see Sakura bent over the stove, busily making food. On the table were a pill of pancakes that could stuff even the bottomless pit known as Yukito's stomach, a bottle full of the sweetest smelling maple syrup ever, next to it were two plates with knives and forks.

Syaoron couldn't help but smile at the site. It was the simple fact that Sakura would be thoughtful enough to make such a simple gesture as preparing breakfast that made her all the more perfect.

Syaoron silently crept up behind Sakura, as she was finishing up with the eggs and the bacon. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back into him. This surprised her and made her drop the spatula that had been in her hand.She also gave a small yelp of surprise as she found herself in the arms of her fiancé.

He immediately went about planting butterfly kisses along her neck and nibbling at her earlobes. The sensation of having his lips on her body was more than Sakura could handle as she found herself responding to him and bending her body back into his.

Eventually Sakura was able to push her future husband off long enough to finish up with the food. She put the rest of the food on two plates, along with a pot of tea, and with Syaoron's help, carried it to the table. 

They settled down and happily ate the food all the while discussing their plans for the day. Since it was the weekend neither of them had any classes. But Sakura had a few errands to run after breakfast so Syaoron volunteered to wash the dishes while she took a shower.

The cleaning didn't take very long and soon Syaoron found himself in his couch reading a book and waiting for Sakura to finish with her shower so he could take one. Everyone else on their floor was still asleep and so they had the showers to themselves. 

Sakura soon finished her shower and came back to their room to change only to find her wide eyed fiancé staring at her with a longing desire in his eyes. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror to try and figure out what could have caused such a reaction from the normally composed sorcerer. What she saw even made her a little pink in the cheeks. She stood there in nothing but a simple white towel wrapped around her body and a second around her head. Quickly turning from the mirror she saw that her little wolf still had awed look on his face. Blushing slightly from the attention he was giving her she quickly ushered him from the room so she could change. 

Outside in the hall way all Syaoron could do was stare slack jawed at the door that Sakura just threw him out of. He couldn't believe that Sakura could look so sexy. Syaoron knew that she had a great figure and was very well toned with all the cheerleading she does, but he never imagined that she would be so… heavenly. She looked like a Goddess straight out of ancient myths. She was so perfect. Thinking about the way she looked made him think of a song by an American boy group. The song was so perfect to describe her; it was really as if god did spend a little more time on her. 

Sakura came out fully dressed a few minutes later. She had on a simply light pink blouse with a small form fitting white t-shirt underneath. She had on a pair of khakis and a simple white jacket. She looked stunning.

"I'm gonna go run a few errands," said Sakura as she gave Syaoron a light kiss on the lips. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Okay, I'll see you later then," said Syaoron as he watched her walk down the hallway to the elevator.

"I love you," said Sakura as the doors opened.

"I love you too," said Syaoron as she disappeared into the elevator. 

Syaoron turned back to his room and grabbed his bathrobe and headed for the showers. He took a nice long relaxing shower to try and wash away the lingering feeling of unease from last night's dream, but it simply wouldn't go away. It was just too disturbing to disregard. 

He was drying his hair with a towel as he headed back to his room to get dressed. A few minutes later he stepped out in a pair of khakis and a dark green sweater. He walked over to the lift and waited for it to come up. He got in and headed down to the first floor. 

Syaoron stepped into the lobby when the doors opened. He walked out the door and decided to take a little walk. 

He had been walking for about five minutes when Chang came out of nowhere and took a position behind Syaoron.

"Report," ordered Syaoron without preamble. 

"Last night we intercepted Mr. Ran just before he was about to interrupt your proposal to Mistress Kinomoto," reported Chang.

Syaoron seemed to mull this over in his head when all of a sudden another of his guards came rushing up to them.

The guard whispered something in Chang's ear and quickly left.

Syaoron could tell by the furrowed brow on Chang's forehead that it was not going to be good news.

"Well?" said Syaoron impatiently.

"I apologize in advance for the ineptitude of my men and I Master Syaoron," said Chang as he turned to face Syaoron. 

"Why are you saying that?" questioned a confused Syaoron.

"I'm afraid that we have lost Mistress Sakura."

To be continued…

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	17. Captive

_Time Frame:__ A few hours late._

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The salty sea air wafted through the cracks in the wooden planks of the walls and the floors. The ocean waves crashed against the support pillars of the dock. These scents and sounds were what Sakura awakened to. At first she thought that she was dreaming, but when she felt the ropes constraining her arms and legs, she knew that what had happened was not a dream.

'What happened to me?' Sakura asked herself as she slowly came to be aware of her surroundings. 

'Where am I?' thought Sakura. Suddenly it hit her, she sense him anymore. 

Sakura started to panic and tried to break her bonds. As she struggled a shadow came into her field of vision. She could just barely make out the faint lines of a person. It wasn't until the shadow spoke that she finally realized who it was.

"So sleeping beauty finally woke up huh?" sneered the figure.

Sakura was stunned as she recognized the voice, Liz.

Liz came closer to Sakura and sneered with an evil smirk, "What, no witty remark?"

Sakura was simply too stunned to reply. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but was unable to find her voice.

Suddenly Liz lashed out and slapped Sakura across her check, leaving a reddening bruise.

The force of the blow sent Sakura back into the wall and knocked the wind out of her. 

Liz let out a low chuckle. 

As Sakura lifted her eyes to look at Liz, she saw the pure hatred of a spurned love. 

"Hehe, don't worry, I'll take real good care of Syaoron for you," sneered Liz.

With that final word of contempt Liz left Sakura to lick her wounds.

hhhhh

"Report," growled Syaoron as he looked out the window of the black Mercedes limo he was riding in.

The man opposite him cowered and weakly began to inform the leader of his clan on his findings. "Yes sir. We have been tracking Xin as you ordered sir. However, we have not seen him do anything out of the ordinary," said the Li clan guardsman. "We have checked into his recent activities as well, but we find nothing strange. The logs from the tracker we placed on him also shows that he has not been near yours or mistress Sakura's dorms for some time."

Most of the information given simply went in one ear and out the other. Syaoron was so deep in thought about Sakura that he almost missed the last sentence.

"Tracker?" queried Syaoron as he turned to face the guardsman. 

The deathly scowl on Syaoron's face scared the man so much so that he visibly shrank in his seat. "Y-yes sir," stuttered the man. "We had a sub dermal tracker planted behind his right ear after his near attempt to attack you last night."

"Why didn't anyone tell me of this earlier?" growled Syaoron as he glared to his left at Chang.

Chang looked almost as scared as the man who had just delivered the report. "W-we didn't wish to disturb you with such matters sir," replied Chang as he prayed that Syaoron would not blow up.

Luckily fate seemed to be on his side as Syaoron turned away and resumed his gaze into space.

Chang and the man opposite him let out a collective breath of relief that they didn't know they had been holding.

"Contact the banks," said Syaoron without turning from the window. "Have them freeze all of the Ran family assets."

"Yes sir," was the only reply needed as both guardsmen took out cell phones and called the banks to carry out the orders of their clan leader.

The chatter all around Syaoron just seemed to bounce off him as he stared out the window. The scenery of streets and pedestrians, which passed before him, didn't register in his eyes. All he could see was her face, all he could smell was her sweet scent, all he could hear was her angelic laughter and all he could think about was how he would kill whoever was responsible for taking his Ying Fa away from him. He just hoped that she was all right. 

'Please be all right Sakura,' pleaded Syaoron silently. 'Please don't leave me.'

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	18. Search and Rescue I

_Time Frame:__ The next day._

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_Rrriiinnnggg!_

"The exam has ended. Everyone hand in your papers now," said professor Wong.

Surprisingly the first paper to land on his desk was Syaoron's. Normally he would be so bored during an exam that his mind would start to wander. 

It had always amazed Wong how Syaoron was able to absorb all of the lessons so readily and ace all the tests with no effort.

Similar musings continued to flow through professor Wong's mind as Syaoron whizzed past his desk and out the door with Liz hot on his tails.

Liz had intended to ask Syaoron out on a date after the exam, but she had been thinking about how she would finally get Syaoron, that she had not studied. So she ended up taking a lot more time than she thought and nearly missed her chance. 

Liz followed his quickly moving form out the building and across the quad but lost sight of him in the after midterm bustle.

She let out a huff of disappointment and turned to head to her next class, while in the shadows of a building across the quad Syaoron let out a sigh of relief.

Syaoron felt relieved that Liz had left and resumed on his short trip back to his dorm room.

He didn't want to have to deal with the annoying presence known as Liz while he was worrying about Sakura. Liz was worse then Meiling. At least Meiling had the common sense to quit chasing him after he had made his feelings apparent to the clan. Liz on the other hand was more like a pest that just won't go away. Liz was like a swarm of mosquitoes; you can never get rid of them all.

Pestering thoughts of Liz were replaced by nerve-wracking thoughts of Sakura as he made his way home. 

There were two questions that he just couldn't answer. If it wasn't Xin that took Sakura, then who was it? And why?

It had been established for the most part that it probably wasn't Xin who took Sakura. One, Xin was nowhere near Sakura when she disappeared and two; there had been nothing unusual about his behavior recently. This left him with no answers, and that pissed him off even more. It would have been less stressful if it had been Xin who took her; at least then it would have been simple. He would have just gone to Xin and pummeled him until the answer came out. But now he was back to square one.

The sense of helplessness had made him resort to drastic measures. He had ordered all the assets of Xin's family to be frozen so that if he did have something to do with her disappearance then he would be able to stop Xin from leaving the city. Then he had sent orders for all the holdings of Xin's family to be searched. Hopefully this will turn up something.

Syaoron's musing finally ended as he entered his room. He walked over to his laptop and connected his web camera to the unit in the conference room of the clan mansion.

The image on the screen showed half a dozen men and women barking orders into cell phones and checking information on the computer.

"Progress report," ordered Syaoron as the attention of all the people in the room turned to him.

"We have sent search teams to all the real estate holding of the Ran family," responded one man.

"60 percent of the teams have reported back and turned up nothing," intoned a woman.

"We are still waiting on the rest of the teams sir," said the first man. "We also have retrieval units ready to deploy at a moments notice sir. They can reach any part of the city in under ten minutes."

"Good," said Syaoron. "Alert me if anything turns up."

"Yes sir," replied all the clansmen in unison.

Syaoron turned off the camera and leaned back in his chair, then he brought his hands up to his face to massage the bridge of his nose and his temples in an attempt to help relieve the headache that was coming.

None of this made any sense. Sakura was one of the most loved people on campus. The professors liked her and so did the students. She always had a way of making everyone love her. No one could have had any reason to do this to her. Well, almost no one, Xin was a wild variable. He seemed to have developed an obsession with Sakura. No matter how many times Sakura would reject him and no matter how many times it would be made clear that Sakura only loved Syaoron, he would still persist and continue to annoy them. 

Syaoron wasn't really all that surprised with Xin's actions, after all Syaoron himself use to be obsessed with her, though not to the level of Xin's condition. To be honest Syaoron was surprised that there weren't more guys like Xin, after all Sakura's beauty was unique and special. Her heart was pure and loving, her eyes the most brilliant set of emeralds God ever created, her voice more soothing than any melody and her scent the most addictive aroma in existence. 

The thoughts of Xin's obsessive behavior brought Syaoron's mind to another person, Liz. Her obsession with him could be as bad if not worse than Xin's. She would chase him without bounds; she was almost to the point of stalking him. This realization came as a realization of sorts. Liz wanted Syaoron and she was to the point where she would have done anything to do it, then by this reasoning one might find that it is very possible that she would even resort to the kidnapping of the one that she perceived as her rival, namely Sakura.

Syaoron's eyes shot open wide as it finally hit him. He had been looking in the right direction, the person was from the Ran family but it wasn't Xin, rather it appears to have been Liz. Syaoron just couldn't believe how blind he was to not have seen something that was right under his nose the whole time. 

Syaoron jumped to his feet and ran out of his room. While he was in the elevator he called the mansion to give them new instructions.

"Find Ran Liz and contact me when you have her location," ordered Syaoron as he bounded out of the building and jumped into his Jeep. "Once you have found her I want two retrieval units to follow her."

"Yes sir," came the reply from the clansman who was listening on the other end.

"Also, have two units converge on my position," said Syaoron as he drove out of the parking lot.

"Yes sir."

With the orders sent and people deployed, Syaoron headed out onto the expressway. Within minutes there were two Mitsubishi Montero Sports directly behind his Jeep. 

The unique license plates of the vehicles identified them as belonging to the clan.

A small smile inched its way onto Syaoron's face at the efficiency of his clansmen. But it disappeared as fast as it appeared as his thoughts once again drifted to the dangerously precarious position Sakura was in at the hands of a madwoman.

He was jolted out of his reverie by the sound of the ringing of his cell phone. 

"Wei?"

"We have located Ms. Ran sir, she headed towards pier 17."

"Does her family have any holdings in that area?" asked Syaoron as he took the exit that would lead him to the harbor.

"Yes sir, they own a warehouse on that pier."

"Have another two units converge on that location and have them secure the area once they arrive," ordered Syaoron as he cut off the line before the underling could respond.

Syaoron raced to the harbor as fats as he could without hitting anything. He was already 30 kilometers over the speed limit and he was still going faster. 

'Hang on Sakura, I'm coming,' thought Syaoron as he turned off the street and onto the docks and sped past dazed dockworkers and on towards pier 17.

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	19. Search and Rescue II

Time Frame: Same as the last chapter

_Time Frame:__ Same as the last chapter._

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Liz hadn't expected the test to be quite so hard. She had been thinking about Syaoron so much that she neglected to study for the exam. Yet, she didn't really care all that much. She couldn't care less if she did well on this test or not, all that mattered was that her rival was out of the way, and soon she would make it permanent.

Suddenly, out of no where the bell rang to signal the end of the test and she got up to hand in her paper. She took her time because Syaoron was usually the last to leave the room. He always took his time in leaving, but when Liz looked over to his seat she found him already making his way out of the room. This turn of events sent her carefully laid plans crumbling. 

Liz quickly packed her books and rushed to leave the room, barely even stopping to throw her test paper on professor Wong's desk.

As she raced out of the building she could still see Syaoron's back as he crossed the quad. However, the quad was quickly filling with the bodies of numerous other students as they got out from their own midterm exams. 

She tried to follow him but she couldn't follow what she couldn't see.Finally she gave up trying to find him in the ruckus of the campus.

With a resigned sigh she turned and started to head for her next class. As she headed for the humanities building she consoled herself by reminding herself that winning Syaoron over was something that would happen. It just might take a little more time than expected, but time was something that Liz had plenty of. 

She smirked as the image of her rival bound on the cold hard floor of a warehouse passed through her mind. Yup, she had all the time in the world.

When she finally arrived at the humanities building she found several students from her class leaving the building. Puzzled as to why they were leaving, she decided to find out what had happened.

"Where are you going?" inquired Liz as she stopped one of the students. "Don't we have class today?"

"Yeah," responded the student. "But the professor is out and there's no sub."

"Oh," said Liz as she turned around and headed back the way she came.

This new development left her with more time to plan how she was going to get Syaoron. It also presented a golden opportunity; she could go to Sakura and gloat some more.

As Liz rounded the corner to her dorm's parking lot she was thinking of all the enjoyment she was going to have as she played with Sakura, and the final blow when Syaoron became hers. The thoughts were enough to make her snicker at how pathetic Sakura was going to look when Syaoron broke her heart. 

Liz couldn't help but laugh maniacally at the prospect of seeing her rival in tears as she got into her cherry red Saab convertible. Her laugh echoed across the parking lot as she sped onto the expressway. 

The wind whipped through her hair as she drove along the expressway heading for the docks, while a demonic grin spread across her face.

Everything was right in her world. Her only rival for the heart of Li Syaoron was out of the way. And her brother wasn't around to annoy her. Things couldn't get any better, well except of course if Li was with her, but that was soon to be a reality.

He had to love her, everyone did, no on could refuse her. And now with that bitch, Sakura out of the way, he would soon realize this.

The deluded thoughts swirled around her mind as she pulled up to the front door of the warehouse that her family owned. 

She got out of the car and headed for the door. As she approached the door, she opened her purse and fished around for the key, while pushing aside a large silvery metallic object. She slipped the key into the keyhole and turned it, opening the heavy metal door. The door opened with a gust of stale dusty air, which made Liz sneeze. 

She quickly recovered and walked inside and the large door slammed shut with a very audible thump. She quickly strode across the ground floor headed towards the stairs. The pitter-patter of her footsteps could be heard echoing through the dank warehouse as she ascended the stairs. Upon reaching the second floor of the building she turned to the left and walked down the hall towards the second to last door. 

The only sound that could be heard was the creak of the door hinges as she opened the door and entered it to see the helpless Sakura laying on the cold floor as she quietly slept in a most uncomfortable position with her hands and feet bound.

Liz padded towards her captive and looked down to examine her handiwork. Sakura looked tired and tense, with the salty paths of dried tears very visible on her cheeks. There was still some evidence of dried blood on her lip from the slap Liz gave her. Her auburn hair, which still held a certain luster was wild and unkempt. Her clothes were disheveled, dirty and in some areas ripped. And her skin looked as pale as the frozen snow which hadn't been seen in over 2 months.

Yet, even in this condition, Sakura still looked beautiful. It was as if nothing could be done to take that away from her. Liz frowned at this and none too gently prodded the still unconscious Sakura to wakefulness with the sole of her sandal. 

Slowly Sakura awoke to find herself in a bound position on a hard surface. At first she was alarmed but soon remembered what had happened. Her memories came back to her. Memories of her abduction by Liz, the split lip she got from Liz and how she had cried herself to sleep when she thought of her predicament and how she may never be with her little wolf again.

Sakura feebly looked up at the shadow that loomed over her to find that the face seemed familiar. Then it hit her as she remembered that this was Liz, the person who had taken her from her Xiao Lang.

"I'm glad to see you sleeping so well," sneered Liz as she sat down in a nearby chair.

"Why did you do this?" asked Sakura though parched lips.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," replied Liz with a level tone.

"…" 

"You honestly don't know?" asked Liz incredulously.

Sakura shook her head in negative.

"Syaoron!" shouted Liz. "He's the reason."

"I don't get it," replied a clearly puzzled Sakura. 

"Argh!" exploded Liz. She had wanted to gloat at Sakura, but she couldn't do that if the other girl was so clueless. "I did it to get you out of my way so I could be with him!"

The stunned expression on Sakura's face showed that she really never did expect this.

"I love him and you were in my way," said Liz as she calmed down. "And you just wouldn't go away. So the only logical course of action left for me was to get rid of you.

"I had originally wanted to gloat a little, but since you're so thickheaded, I guess I'll have to go with my original plan and take you out of the picture permanently."

With that said, Liz opened her purse and reached in to take out a small silver plated pistol. She took it and aimed it at Sakura's head.

Suddenly seeing the imminent danger she was in, Sakura tried to move out of the way but she had no way of doing so. All Sakura could do was lay there and wait for the inevitable. However, it never came.

Suddenly the door to the room burst open and in rushed Syaoron with four of his men flanking him. Two of his men immediately put themselves in front of Syaoron upon seeing the weapon. However, he quickly pushed them aside and tried to rush forward to Sakura, but was warded off when Liz waved the gun at him.

"Stay where you are Syaoron," said Liz in a low menacing tone. "I wont let her take you from me," as she turned the gun back towards Sakura so fast that Syaoron was caught off guard.

"NOOOOO!!!"

_Bang!_

hhhhh

_Apologies:__ I am truly sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter, but I was swamped with work so I couldn't work on it. _

_I am sorry if you wanted longer chapters, but I just can't seem to write that much. _

_Luckily with most of my assignments done, I can start to write more. _

_I plan on uploading chapter twenty by the end of the week and hope to finish this series by next week._

_Thank you for taking the time to read this and once again I apologize for my slow updates and short chapters._

_Author's Notes:__ Sorry about the cliffhanger, but the story just wouldn't work otherwise._


	20. Together Forever

_Time Frame:__ The next morning._

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The bright rays of early morning wafted through the flowing curtains to cast the large bedroom in a comforting ambient glow. The light powder pink walls giving the chamber a feeling of warmth. 

The diluted rays of light cast themselves upon the softly slumbering figure on the large bed in the center of the room and the slumped body of the one who had kept a lone vigil over the sleeping angel.

Slowly the figure began to stir as she awoke from a dreamless restful sleep.

'Where am I?' she thought as she felt the silk slip and soft satin sheets under her, with a warm downy comforter on top. The plush pillows around her and the bed made her feel as she was sleeping on clouds.

'What happened?' she asked herself silently as she tried to figure out how she had gotten from the cold hard floor of the warehouse to the soft warmth of this amazing bed. 

Then she remembered what happened, the gun, Syaoron bursting in the room, the shot, and the immense pain that she felt as it hit her, tearing flesh and shattering bone. Suddenly a wild panic seized her as she thought that she had died and was now in heaven.

Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to spill over as she contemplated the possibility of being separated from her beloved by a barrier as insurmountable as that, which separated the living from the dead.

Yet, there was something in the air that seemed almost familiar, a scent that felt warm and comfortable. It was then that she felt the fingers entwined with her own. She slowly raised her head and saw something she never thought she would again, her little wolf.

Syaoron's body was slumped over the side of her bed and his right hand was entwined in her left one. He had his head resting next to her and his ever-present scowl had contorted his handsome features with tension lines and a pale complexion. 

All Sakura could do was lie there and look at him. It pained her to see him like this, but she didn't know what to do. She turned her body slowly so as not to disturb him and moved her right hand to softly stroke his amber locks. They felt so soft under her fingers and as she brushed a few stray strands away from his face, she was reminded of why she loved this young man so much. She loved him because no matter how he could be stern and cold he still had an innocence about him that simply took her breath away. He looked so tired and yet he was still here next to her, and as she glanced at the rest of him, she could see that he was kneeling on the plush carpeting of the room with nothing to cushion him. He looked to have spent the night like this and she was again amazed at his love. He loved her so much that he was willing to kneel a whole night just so that he would be able to hold her hand.

It was about this time that Syaoron began to stir. The soft ministrations of Sakura as she stroked his hair had brought him from his uneasy dream filled slumber. He had dreamt that Sakura was hurt and that there was nothing he could do to save her. What scared him was seeing Sakura hurt and his helplessness only made it all the more unbearable.

Yet, as he climbed out of the anxiety induced nightmare he awoke to the soft, steady, stroking of his hair by delicate fingers. He opened his eyes to see the glowing emerald orbs of his cherry blossom. Slowly he raised his head and reached with his other hand to cup her cheek. He needed to know that she was really there, needed to know that she was all right. 

Sakura leaned into his hand as it reached up to stroke her. She let out a sigh as she remembered to familiar sensations of love that such a simple act could cause. 

"Gomen," was the only word that Syaoron said as he held her hand tighter.

"Why?" was the simple response from Sakura.

"Gomen for not being there to protect you when you needed me and for letting you suffer so much when I should have been able to prevent it. I'm sorry for letting you get hurt and I'm sorry for being so stupid," said Syaoron, and as the last words left his lips, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh, Syaoron you can't always be there to protect me, and I'm not mad at you for anything. You are always there when I need you and don't you think differently. I would gladly go though hell and back if it would mean that we could be together, and as for being stupid, I don't think that that is something you could change," said Sakura as she reached down and brushed the tear away.

The last comment was able to get a slight chuckle from Syaoron as he pushed himself form the ground on which he had been kneeling for the past ten hours. He crawled into bed with Sakura and enveloped her in his arms. 

Sakura sighed happily as she rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart, a sound she thought she would never hear again. 

Syaoron held her tightly to him as he inhaled her sweet scent and stroked her hair as he reveled in the utter joy of having the one he loved in his arms.

They just stayed like that for a few moments until Sakura finally realized that she felt no pain. Logically she should feel pain, after all she did get shot with a real gun and a real bullet did pierce her body, so why didn't she feel any pain.

"Syaoron?"

"Yes?"

"What happened after you burst in?"

"Well Liz waved the gun around and ended up about to shoot you," said Syaoron. "But one of my men shot her gun from her hand just as she tried to shoot you. Her bullet ended up going through your left shoulder and I had you air lifted home, to the clan mansion. The clan physician used some healing spells to heal your wound and you were as good as new, but he still gave you some sedatives so you could rest properly."

"Oh," said Sakura as she absorbed all of it. "What happened to Liz?" she inquired after a moment.

"I don't really know," said Syaoron as he once again held her tight to him. "My guards sedated her and took her away. And with you being the way that you were, I just didn't have the time to stop and think about her."

"Oh."

"Don't worry she'll be fine," said Syaoron as he allayed her fears. "My guards probably just sent her home."

"Okay," purred Sakura as Syaoron began to rub her back.

"Sleep Sakura, I'll be here when you wake up," he whispered as he pulled to comforter tighter around the two. 

"Good," said Sakura as a contented smile came across her face.

Slowly the soothing motion and presence of Syaoron was able to lull Sakura to a fitful slumber.

He stayed awake just holding her and smiling happily. He had his Ying Fa back and he wasn't going to let anyone take her away again. However, eventually he too joined his beloved in the realm of dreams.

Meanwhile Ming and the others stared at the two lovebirds in each others arms sleeping, the girls couldn't help getting all star eyed at the totally kawaii scene that had just taken place, while the guys just groaned.

hhhhh

_Author's Notes:__ This will probably be the last real chapter. _

_The next one will be an epilogue._

_Thank you all for reading my story._


	21. Epilogue

_Time Frame:__ Several weeks later during the end of spring._

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The soft winds of the spring afternoon were just enough to give the falling Sakura petals a little bit of a push as they fell from the branches. 

The petals came to rest on the soft luscious green grass of the lakeside as two lovebirds lay on a large towel at the base of the Sakura tree. They were contently holding each other while they watched their friends playing.

The male was in a pair of forest green swim trunks while the female was in a light pink two piece swimsuit. He had his arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned back into his chest. Her arms were holding his in place. Each had a peaceful smile on their face as the warm breeze and soothing solar rays kept them nice and cozy, despite the minimal amount of clothing. 

Nearby the sounds of contentment could be heard as three couples were engaged in a game of water Frisbee. 

"Sakura?" said Syaoron as he broke the silence.

"Yeah?" said Sakura in reply.

"Do you ever regret coming to Hong Kong?"

"No," said Sakura in answer. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, there was that whole incident with Liz and the whole situation with Xin," said Syaoron in explanation. "So I thought that after going through so much that you might have regretted coming here."

"Not at all. I don't regret anything as long as I end up in your arms."

With a smile he pulled her even closer and kissed the top of her head. "That can be easily arranged." Then he turned her in his arms, till they faced each other, and gave her a sweet kiss.

They were so intent on the kiss that they never noticed their friends coming up to them with buckets of cold water. 

Suddenly with a yelp of surprise the two broke away from each other, jumped to their feet and glared at their friends, who were laughing their heads off.

Then as suddenly as they were surprised, they took off running after the others giving everyone a good laugh. 

After chasing their friends for a few minutes everyone collapsed on the grass in a fit of laughter. 

They settled into a fitful silence with the girls in the arms of their boyfriends and the guys happily holding onto them.

Sakura was contentedly settled in Syaoron's arms when conversations about day to day affairs began amongst the group.

After a few minutes of conversing about random events Syaoron noticed that Sakura had been oddly silent. She had a thoughtful stare on her face as he looked at her.

"Sakura?"

"Yeah," replied Sakura as she continued to stare into space.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just thinking."

"What about?"

"The old gang," said Sakura with a far-off look in her eyes. "I really miss them Syaoron."

"Yeah, I know," said Syaoron. 

Slowly a small grin appeared on his face as an idea came to his mind.

"I have an idea," said Syaoron as he gently nuzzled Sakura's earlobe causing her to giggle. "Why don't we call them when we get back to our room."

"That would be great," said Sakura with an ecstatic grin on her face. "Lets go now."

With that said, Sakura jumped up and pulled Syaoron to his feet and began to run towards the dorms, dragging a chuckling sorcerer behind her.

'She is going to love this surprise,' thought Syaoron as he caught up to his cherry blossom.

Not even close to finished… 

hhhhh

_Author's Notes:__ Sorry this epilogue took so long to come out, but I was having a very hard time not giving you guys too many hints as to the sequel. _

_Sorry if the epilogue is a bit corny but like I said before, I had a hard time writing it, gomen._

_The sequel should start by the time summer vacation starts._

_I'll try to put a bit more action in it._

_Ja ne_

_ _

_P.S. Just in case anyone cared. I'm redoing my "Elemental" series, so it won't be updated for a long time._


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